An Owl on the Loose
by killaaxeman
Summary: Taylor goes out on a morning jog and makes a new friend who may be a little crazy. How much can such a little change offset Taylor's story over time. Starts canon complacent but will diverge more and more over time. Oc has power from Tokyo Ghoul with their own little twist. They're their own character though. Warning, Graphic Violence and Gore
1. Chapter 1

It's a chill late winter day in Brockton Bay, the wind lowering the temperature a little more than I'm comfortable with but I get ready to head out for my morning jog anyway. This is a new me, I'm a cape now and that means a little cold isn't going to stop me. Armsmaster ,the head of the local Protectorate branch, wouldn't back down from a little cold, no he'd face it head on. Of course Armsmaster is brave and heroic and much cooler than I'd ever be, and also has a useful power, and people like him.

Damn traitorous thoughts already getting me down today. Yes it may be to early to compare myself to Armsmaster but I've put up with to much shit the past year and a half to let a little cold get me down. Get a grip Taylor.

With a sub-par pep talk out of the way I head out the door with thoughts of how my costume will look and how awesome I'll be and make for the sidewalk. I stretch a little then get ready to start my jog- "Hey you smell nice."

"Holy Fuck!" I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear a voice behind me and whip around to see who it is. There's just a blonde girl standing there in a pink hoodie and denim jeans with sneakers. She looks to be around 19 and pretty cute, No bad thoughts, she just scared the hell out of me. Where'd she come from anyway there was no one else out when I left the house. I start to get a few bugs together in case I would need them but keep them out of sight.

"D-don't sneak up on people like that." I reprimand her "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Sorry I just got excited, you're the first person I've seen this morning so I wanted to come say hi, but then I got closer and you smelled nice so I wanted to tell you." The sneaky blonde babbles out. She seems to be way to perky this early in the morning.

What is she doing out so early by her self anyway, well that's a pretty good question so I voice it.

"I'm just out sightseeing and looking for fun stuff to do, what are you doing?" She looks at me with excitement dancing in her blue eyes.

"Getting ready ready for my morning jog-" "Oh oh oh, can I come with?" Her entire body is now almost vibrating with energy, her face looks like how a little kid looks at seeing their presents on Christmas morning. It seems odd, fishy even, and with that thought I try to deflect. I move the tiny swarm closer.

"I usually jog by myself, and it probably wouldn't be a good idea to go with a complete stranger." Hopefully she listens to reason. In fact after I say that she visibly deflates and I start to feel a little bad about shooting her down, but then she lights back up.

"Hi, I'm Owl nice to meet you what's your name." She shoots off rapidly then sticks out her hand. I'm flabbergasted at that sudden about face and not wanting to be rude, and a little stunned, I shake her hand and tell her my name. "Cool, I'll call you Tay Tay, see not strangers any more, we're basically best friends now."

This has to be a scheme by Emma and her sycophants, no one could be this air headed and still want to go anywhere with me. "Oh my god, look a bird!" Owl then points at a seagull flying over head and looks completely mesmerized. Well shit, maybe she is just air headed and against my better judgement I say okay. She jumps up and claps a little and tell me to lead the way and we go.

My morning jog goes well and me and Owl have a pretty good time. We talked, okay Owl talked constantly and I listened. She talks about how many animals she saw the other day and that grey squirrels are her favorite. About how she likes Indian food and that its been a while since she was able to have any, and she kept up with me just fine. At one point she just did cartwheels for an entire block showing me that she is in much better shape than me and giggled the whole time. I eventually felt safe enough to let the swarm go and we rounded the block and came up to the home stretch.

"Hey Owl this was fun but that's it for my jog today, I have to go in to get ready for school." She looks a little down but then perks right back up.

"Do you think I could join you tomorrow as well Tay Tay." She says that and looks a little nervous, like she afraid of me saying no and shuffles her feet a little.

I feel pretty good right now so I tell her "Sure Owl, you can join me tomorrow." She then beams at me and lunges forward and gives me a hug that lifts me off the ground and makes it a little hard to breathe then lets me go and says goodbye and that she'd see me tomorrow then turns around and starts running off. What a weird girl. I had fun but its time to head inside and make breakfast. This is the first time in a while I've started the day and felt really good. A very long time. I start looking forward to tomorrow despite the small part of me that is still paranoid that this is so elaborate scheme.

And that thought kills my mood a little but I'm still riding high and get on with my day.

The next day when I'm about to head out I sense someone standing on the sidewalk in front of my house with my bugs. I take a peek out the window and see Owl standing there kicking around an old soda can and looking like she's enjoying herself. To be honest I'm a little surprised to see that she came back and I'm a tiny bit jealous that she seems to be so carefree, but I push that feeling down and finish getting ready. I open the door and go to greet her.

"Hey Owl" She whips around to face me and her whole body lights up with excitement. "Tay! Are you ready for the best jog ever."

I laugh to myself a little and tell her I'm ready.

We both head out and and Owl starts telling stories about everything that happened to her yesterday and some other times through her life like how she likes riding motorcycles, and that she swears she knows kung-fu and then does some karate chops and kicks with her own sound effects. She then starts telling me that she met Armsmaster.

"Wait you've met him before, did you manage to get his autograph." I ask now fully invested in the story, so I'm a little bit of a cape geek, sue me.

"Well I wanted to" She starts to explain "But he seemed to busy, swinging his stabby stick everywhere."

"It's a halberd Owl and you saw him while he was fighting" I asked her excitedly.

She nods and ignores my correction of stabby stick "Ya it was so cool, he was all like woosh woosh slizice with his stick and his armor was all shiny and stuff."

"That's awesome!" I, sadly, seem to have been second hand star struck for a second but cough a bit and regain my composure. "I mean that's pretty cool I guess." Smooth recovery Taylor, she'll never see through that.

She then gives me a sideways glance and grin. Damn it, I may as well be made of glass, see saw right through that. I quickly change the subject and we carry on with our morning exercise.

The rest of the week carries on the same way, I have a fun morning with Owl, then go to school for the day and go through hell. Friday starts off fun with Owl but after we finish our jog we part ways for the day and I head to school, and I'm dreading it the entire way.

The day just seems like a normal horrible day until it escalates during lunch. I go to the bathroom to eat my lunch in peace, one of the last safe spaces I have left to eat my lunch and not be picked on and lock myself in the stall to eat. Just as I'm getting ready to dig in to my sad lunch I hear the door to the bathroom open and close and the sound of hushed voices near my stall. They go quiet for a moment, then I hear a shuffling noise and I'm suddenly covered in juice from above. I look up to see the faces of the three bitches that are the main players of the people at school trying to ruin my life. Emma Barnes, my ex best friend who randomly turned on me, Sophia Hess, the track star who's the one that physically bullies me the most, and Madison Clements, the useless girl that backs up the other two. They start giggling and taunt me.

"Oh look poor Taylor made a mess again, so sad." "Ya she can't even take care of herself." and other assorted taunts as they lower themselves from the sides of the stall and leave the bathroom laughing. I leave my stall and wipe off my glasses and look at myself in the mirror. I'm covered in juice, I'm sticky all over, my backpack is covered in juice, all the paperwork inside is ruined.

I'm pissed.

I'm furious.

I'm seething.

I feel all the insects in the school, Winslow is a disgusting pit so I have a hold over many, many bugs.

I could kill them now, swarm them in bugs, eat them alive and torture them to death. Burrow the roaches under their skin and gather wasps and bees to sting their eyes out, I could pay them back for the past year and a half of bullying. Hurt everyone else that just stood by and let them bully me. Make the locker they shoved me into look like a cozy place to be.

No.

But it would be so easy.

Taylor you said you wanted to be a hero.

Wouldn't it be heroic though, getting justice for myself for all the pain they've caused me. Surely I'd be justified.

What would Owl think if I butchered everyone in the school. Finding out that just because I had an especially bad day that I'd kill them all.

The thought that such a cheerful girl would be horrified to see me, her being disappointed in me, it an incredibly sobering thought.

I come back down from the anger and realize I'm covered in bugs, like some form of living shield, and disperse them with a thought.

I'm still covered in juice, my backpack is still ruined, my cape notes are ruined.

I won't go crazy today, but fuck them I'm going home. I'm not going to give them the satisfaction of seeing me like this for the rest of the day.

Shit, my cape notes. It might be jumping the gun a bit but screw it. I'm going to finish my cape costume, and I'm going on patrol this weekend and I'll be the best god damned hero ever seen just to spite those stupid cunts.

It's a foolproof plan, what could go wrong.

 **AN/ Although I've been on this site for many years and have had tons of half assed story ideas kick around in my head this is the first time I've ever put one of them out there. I love Worm and that's one of the reasons I was able to man up and put out a story. I know it kind of sucks but it's been in my head for months now and I just had to put it out there. Reviews are welcome just so I can see where I could improve and expand my story. And hey even if you don't review it and just drop it now, thanks for at least checking it out.**

 **-Killa**


	2. Chapter 2

I rush home quickly, it's Friday and only a little after noon, dad wouldn't be home until around 6 tonight. I'm dead set in my new path. I'm going out in costume Sunday Night. I have around six hours to work on finishing up my costume and I plan getting a lot done. I arrive home, get changed and head right to the basement where I'm storing my costume and black widows. I work until I hear dad's car pull into the driveway and start putting everything away but take one last look at it for the day. The body still needs the arms and legs capped off but the mask is done and looks amazing. The mask conveys a bug theme perfectly with mandibles along the jaw line and large amber eyes reminiscent of compound eyes. It's almost exactly how I pictured it and conveys the picture of a hero just how I wanted. Hell you'd have to be a moron to think I was anyone but a hero.

I finish putting it away and exit the basement and leave the hallway just in time for dad to come through the door. He sees me and I can see that he's trying to come up with some proper greeting. He has tried to connect with me and be closer ever since the locker incident, but it's like there's some wall he just can't scale when it comes to talking with me. Since mom died we drifted apart but I didn't know it was so bad to the point that we basically forgot how to at least greet each other. Knowing that our relationship may never recover from mom's death hurts, it cools and anger I've felt since lunch as he tries to find a way to say hello in a caring and fatherly way and just leaves behind a hollow pain.

Dad finally found something to latch on to and says "H-hey Taylor, how did your day go." dryly, like he couldn't figure out what inflection or emotion he should use.

"Um, not to bad, eh and you?" like I was any fucking better. Being socially starved for almost two years doesn't help with reconnecting with my dad. I mean the only positive social experience I've had recently is talking with Owl and that's sad. And there's that hollow pain again. God I'm a mess.

"Work wasn't to bad today, but I'll be going in this weekend to finish up some work." Then he lights up a little will an idea "Hey I could make dinner for the both of us tonight."

Fixing our relationship is going to be a give and take for both sides, but I just can't open up yet "I ate earlier so I'm just gonna go to my room for the night." I tell dad with a bald faced lie. I haven't eaten since breakfast but I just want to escape the pain and bury myself in more work for Sunday night.

"Oh, okay well goodnight, S-see you tomorrow." He looks at me for a second sadly then walks into the living room to put some of his stuff away. And now I feel worse, come on day just keep the hits coming. With a sigh I go up to my room.

I pull out a couple maps I have of the area around my neighborhood and the greater docks area and spent the rest of the night plotting out the patrol route I want to take.

* * *

I woke up late Saturday morning to someone knocking on the front door. After a few minutes and repeat knocks at the door and I figure I have to get up and answer the door. When I get to the living room I notice dad's work stuff is gone, he must already left for the day to try and keep the Dockworker's Union afloat. I take a peek through the peephole and see only pink and blonde shifting back and forth quickly. Damn Owl is here wondering where I am. Well my as well open the door.

"Tay Tay, what took you so long, wow you look horrible did you sleep upside down." Tactful, thank you Owl. I grunt and look in the small mirror near the door. Damn I have drool marks going down my face and my hair looks like kindergartners were playing with it.

"I had a hard night Owl." No point in lying to my probably only friend in life right now.

She gives me a look up and down for a second "Hey do... do you want a hug, you don't look great right now."

Shit, she cares and I don't know how to feel about that. It's been a while since someone cared, the last person was Emma and that didn't last long. And thinking of Emma is just bringing yesterday's pain back to the front. The bugs in my range are being rather jittery, oh I'm doing that. Oh I think I just hit my limit. Well in for a penny, in for a pound.

"Yeah Owl, I think I need a hug." She suddenly embraces me as soon as I finish the sentence. When I feel her basically cradling me in the doorway I finally break down and cry into the crook of her neck. All the grief of the past year and the anger and hate of yesterday flow out of me as Owl slowly leads me into the house and to the couch to sit, but never lets me go.

After a while I recover enough to lean out of the hug " Owl why do you care so much." I choke out.

"I don't know what made you sad Tay, but we're besties so I'll be there for you no matter what." I give a little laugh. "You're here for me and care but we only met Monday."

It's Owl's turn to laugh as she lets me go and sits back into the couch "A friendship has to start somewhere, and I don't usually stay in an area for very long so I try to make great friends as fast as possible."

Wow, what happened to airhead Owl.

She ended up staying with me for a few hours and eventually left when she was sure I was okay and giving me one last hug on the way out.

We didn't end up talking about anything really important, just sat together and babbled about nothing and it was one of the kindest moments I've had in a long time. I couldn't open up about what happened though, it's just another hurdle in a long line of them that I don't have the energy to get over, yet. Instead I told Owl that we'd go jogging again starting Monday. I eventually got off the couch, made some food and went back to prepping for Sunday night.

* * *

The next day and a half past by without any more incidents, thank god. I don't know if I could keep going with this roller coaster of emotion, I'm just drained but by Sunday night I've hyped myself up and get ready to go.

When it's late enough and I'm sure dad has fallen asleep I pull out my finished costume.

It looks beautiful. Sleek black, armored in the areas I think I'll need it the most. I even had enough time to make pockets. I pull on my mask and shimmy out my window and head north.

I've been walking around for a while with my bugs scouting and looking for trouble, any crime at all really but I haven't found anything yet. Man if crime could just announce itself like in cartoons this would be much easier. Oh wait, my bugs are picking up a group of people, and this big of a group out this late must be up to no good. I hope the rest of my cape career is this easy.

I slink my way closer through alleyway towards where those people are and collect more bugs along the way. I start to hear voices that sound vaguely Asian, so they might be ABB goons. I find a fire escape and climb it for a better vantage point. Looking over the edge I see a collection of guys in front of a store, all of them holding weapons some have baseball bats with nails in them and pipes, while others are holding pistols. It looks to be about 10 people all together. Then I see one without a shirt on, damn he's pretty beefy, and look up farther and see a steel dragon mask on his face. FUCK that's Lung, fuck I was checking him out. Although they have to be up to no good I can't take on Lung of all people, he curb stomps the local Protectorate for fun. Just as I start to back away and search for the closest pay phone with my bugs I hear him start speaking.

"Quiet! Those foolish children have disrespected us, so we'll go teach them a lesson. I don't want any of them alive, if you see one on the ground shoot them again, I want them dead." Oh he sounded angry.

But I can't just let them go now, they're going to kill kids. What kind of hero would I be if I let them kill kids. With that thought I gather my swarm to attack. I set my insects to descend on them like biblical locusts on the Egyptians. Wasps and bee go for their soft, squishy faces while spiders spin thread between their legs as ants and other ground based insects make the long trek up the gang members legs. They all scatter, screaming and trying to get away. Except Lung, he yells then explodes in a ball of fire, killing any bugs near him. I take that as my cue to leave now and start walking away across the gravel roof.

"YOOOOOOUUU!."

Oh is he talking to me, wow it's like he could, hear ... my footsteps. Shit. Of course super rage dragon has super hearing. I look behind me to see a large hand grab the edge of the roof as Lung hoists himself over and onto the roof. I can see the beginnings of scales start to peak through his skin and he looks taller.

"Ha ha, just some little girl made my men scatter, well let me pay you back for this insult." He then starts to advance on me.

I back into the edge of the building that the fire escape is on, but Lung is between me and the ladder.

Then I have a genius idea and if it works I'll escape and live another day. When Lung gets close enough I spray him in the face with my pepper spray and try to dash to the ladder. There's only one problem with that plan, Lung. He roars and covers his face with one arm and back hands me with the other with enough force to send me over the edge and into the opposite buildings wall. I hit it, fall and bounce off the lid of a dumpster in the alleyway and curl into a ball of pain on the ground. I roll over and look up and see the entire roof of the building explode in a ball of fire.

Lung then stumbles over the edge himself and falls to the ground with a heavy thud. I'm stunned for a moment but he starts to twitch and fight his way back to standing so I swarm his face with as many stinging, poisonous insects as I possibly shoots off bursts of fire to get rid of my bugs but I send more at him and try to get my feet under me. He doesn't seem to be growing any more and his mask must of came off with the fall so I'm able to see his swollen face.

"Oo bish." then drunkenly lunges forward and gives me a flaming front kick to the chest, shooting me back 15 feet and colliding with the side of another dumpster, my head hits it with a crack and I just sit their slumped against the dumpster moaning in pain.

He walks over to me hunch backed to finish me off. Then I look up and see a figure jump off a roof of a near by building.

The person dive kicks right into Lungs back and rides him down until he hits face first into the ground, then the person front flips off Lung.

They then look down at him to see that he's still moving a little so they reel back and kick Lung in the side of the head with a crack, sending him into a horizontal cartwheel towards the alleyway entrance and more importantly, away for me.

When he stopped I saw that the side of his head was caved in. Ohshitishedead!

Wait, no his head is slowly healing but he's not moving. Thank god, whoever that is knocked him out.

I look up to see who saved me but I'm surprised when all I see is a hand, blonde and pink. Hold up it couldn't possible be-

"Hi, I'm Owl what's your name" It is. Why is Owl there now?

"Hey that was pretty fun" Did my friend just jump off the 6 story tall building?

"That was a cool kick right. Hey who's that guy I kicked?" Did she just knock out Lung?!

"You smell nice. Oh you smell familiar, do I know you." "Owl it's me, Taylor"

She looks surprised for a moment, then gets very excited. "Tay Tay what are you doing out here."

"Um..."

"Wait a minute, you're out late, wearing a mask so no one knows you, and you have a costume. Oh no Tay are you a weird fetish hooker?"

What! "No! I'm a cape." Fuck. Wasn't suppose to tell anyone.

"Yay"

Hold on "What do you mean 'yay'" I say, honestly surprised.

"Well I'm happy, that means me and my best friend are both capes."

"You're a cape?!"

"Well yeah of course." She just says like I should have fucking known that fact.

"Wait Owl, why are you here?"

"Oh, I saw cool explosions so I thought I could find something fun to do." Then she smiles "Wanna do anything fun if you're free, I've got some free time."

"Owl I'm in a lot of pain right now, do you think I could have some help home." Fun currently being far down the list of priorities.

"Yeah sure why not." She then walked over and picked me up like I was nothing in a bridal carry.

The sudden movement let me know that my body disagreed with be moved. The back of my head ached something fierce. And it hurt to breathe. The front of my chest stung in a way that let me know I probably have burns there. God I hope none of my costume melted to my skin.

"So who has that guy you were playing with anyway?" Owl asks after she done settling me in her arms and starts walking towards the alleyway entrance.

"That was Lung, He's one of the toughest guys in the city." Does she seriously not know who he is?

"Awesome, does that mean I'm now the toughest?" She asks , completely unfazed by what she just did.

"That definitely could be the case." Someone says behind us as we turn and see four people and three lizard monsters walking towards us from the far end of the alley. One is a girl in a purple and black catsuit with a domino mask, the tall guy looks like he rode a motorcycle here with all the leather and his full helmet painted like a skull, there's a Renaissances fair guy with a stick, and a beefy girl with a cheap dollar store mask.

"Who are you guys." I'm a little afraid of what they could be here for, if it's to continue the fight I wouldn't be able to help Owl and I don't think she could take all of them.

"Don't worry we're not here to fight" The purple one throws in. That's good to hear but how'd she know I was worried about it. "I'm psychic, it's what I do, no we came here to thank you. We're the Undersiders and Lung was after us so thanks for the save." She responds.

Damn, she can read minds? And aren't the Undersiders villains. Did I come out as a hero tonight and just end up saving villains for another villain.

"You guys are villains right, so what you're going to thank us then rob us."

Owl looks down to me then whips back up to look at the Undersiders. "Wait you're villains, that means you're bad guys. Do you wanna fight me, ooh that could be lots of fun." Owl's smile kicks up a notch or five after saying that.

The purple one raises her hand up as if to interject but stares at Owl a little and her hand starts to tremble. She then leans over to leather guy and whispers something to him. He shoots her a quick glance then turns to us. "No, no, we don't want a fight. We just wanted to thank you. Well if that's it we'll uh, get going." They then start walking to the lizards while whispering to each other, hop on their lizards, and make what I can say looks like a hasty retreat. Well that's weird. Owl looks at me then kind of shrugs and continues to walk out of the alley. We both hear an engine and look to see Armsmaster rocketing down the street in our direction. He must see us because he pulls over. Thankfully some one is here to help finally.

As he's getting off his bike he takes a second glance at us, tenses, then quickly jumps off the bike and pulls off his halberd and levels it at us.

"Owl, unhand that person and surrender." He yells at us and looks to be talking to someone over his radio in a hushed tone.

"Hey Armsy" Armsy? "I can't fight again right now, my friend needs a hand." Fight again?

There's a pause, then "I'm going to have to ask you to come into custody peacefully, no one wants anyone to get hurt."

Custody, this is ridiculous. "We just fought Lung what do you mean, what's she in trouble for any way?"

He keeps his halberd leveled at us and replies while keeping his eyes on Owl. "Where is Lung, is he still alive?"

"Yeah he's still alive, he's Lung, he's knocked out in the alley." This is weird what's his problem.

Owl looks down to me and leans in to whisper "Tay I think I need to put you down now so you don't get hurt, I think I need to leave." She then helps me into a standing postion.

Armsmaster then gruffly asks "Owl do you agree to come in peacefully."

"If I say no do I get to fight you again. It was pretty fun last time." Oh my god is she crazy, she can't fight him.

I look over to Armsmaster as he takes a second to reply, before finally pointing his halberd away from us. "I've been instructed to not engage you in combat tonight."

"Awe, well If you don't want to fight I guess I'll be leaving then." She then waves and runs off

Armsmaster keeps his halberd lowered as he watches Owl leave before turning to me and growls out "You, are you an associate of hers."

"What does it matter, Lung's over there why is she in trouble." I didn't know one of my hero's is such a dick.

"The Owl is wanted for several kidnappings, and has been linked to multiple homicides."

What. Sweet, airheaded Owl is a killer. No that can't be right.

"Are you a villain?" What do you mean vill-

"No! I'm a hero."

He looks me up and down "If you're a hero then wait there, I need you to come in with me, but I need to secure Lung." And gives me a glare before grabbing something off his bike and walking past me while glaring.

As soon as he goes into the alleyway I weigh my options and hobble away, towards home. I don't like his vibe. Besides he got Lung so he probably doesn't need me anyway right. And he made Owl leave so you know what, he can fuck himself.

* * *

I eventually make it home with no more excitement for the night. I make my way to my room and lay down and think about tonight's adventure. Wow i fought Lung and lived. And found out Armsmaster is a dick while on the job, and Owl has fought him and is a possible killer.

I don't know how to feel about that one. She's so nice, but killers can be nice sometimes to I guess. But kidnapping, that's, I mean really, Owl?

Well I still don't really know her so it's possible. But she's my friend I couldn't just turn my back on her like that right. I still don't have all the details. And if I just drop her for no reason I'd feel like Emma.

That settles it, I don't know all the facts so I can't just stop being her friend and I refuse to treat her like Emma treated me.

With that thought I finally pass into unconsciousness for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **AN/ Taylor might seem to be reacting oddly to certain things but I think and feel that Taylor finally making a friend after so long, then almost hurting a lot of people in anger, and then having said friend care about her would set her off. If it was like canon and she had the whole weekend to bury the pain then she might have been fine but having Owl right there so soon didn't give her a chance to. I also feel she would end up latching onto Owl pretty hard and defending her. After a year and a half of hell she finally finds someone that cares. She isn't badass Skitter yet, she's still just a traumatized girl that's been socially neglected so I think it would have to get pretty bad for her to leave Owl behind. I know some of her character interactions might be weird so I just wanted to explain part of my inane reasoning. Thanks for reading. If you have any thoughts or criticisms please leave a review, I'd love to hear what you think.**

 **-Killa**


	3. Chapter 3

Ugh. What the hell hit me. Oh I hurt all over. The sun currently stabbing me in the eyes sure isn't helping either. Stupid sun. I look over to my alarm clock to see that it's still early. Early enough that my alarm hadn't gone off yet. Damn, must have moved and the pain woke me up. I stay in bed more a few more minutes before deciding to get up and try to assess the damage from last night. I slowly peeled myself out of the costume I'd forgotten to take off. The chest piece is warped a little, but seems to have taken the heat of Lung's kick rather well. My chest on the other hand looks a little red, and it looks like it's going to end up blooming into a wicked bruise. My back is about the same. Thankfully nothing seems broken, just very abused.

I go about my morning routine, but I know that I'm not going to school today, Last night I, with a welcome assist from Owl, beat Lung. Winslow can bite me. I'll still probably end up going tomorrow, but you know, little victories.

After getting dressed I start to head down stairs and hear dad shuffling around down there.

I turn the corner and see him already dressed and gathering up his things for work. He turns to grab something and notices me.

"Oh, Taylor you're up early."

"Yeah, so are you, and dressed already, something wrong?"

"Nothings wrong, it's just that for the next few days I have to go in early for a possible new contract for the union." He looks down and smiles sadly. "This new contract might help keep us afloat for a while."

Well that's good news I guess. "Uh, good luck."

"Thanks" He then checks his watch "Oh I better get going" He heads to the door. "Have a good day, I'll see you tonight." Then he's through and away.

Well that saves me having to explain to him why I'm not going to school today.

Then I go about making a quick breakfast and sit and watch tv for a while.

* * *

The rest of the day goes slowly by. I waited around for a while to see if Owl was going to come by today, but she never showed up. Maybe she was giving me some space from the excitement of last night, or she got distracted by something shiny, honestly either is possible. I make dinner for me and dad, and eventually go up to my room for the night.

* * *

The next day I get up feeling better, well less sore anyway. Dad has already left by the time I go downstairs, so I get ready to go for a relaxed jog/walk. Just because I got hurt doesn't mean I'm giving up my new cape life.

When I head outside I see Owl standing there, she's watching the birds.

"Owl! Morning." I must have spooked her because she jumps and whips around to look at me.

"Tay, you scared me, don't do that." She then hops over and gives me a hug.

"Careful, I'm still sore." Damn, she's still stronger than me to.

She looks embarrassed and rubs the back of her head. "Sorry, I forget how squishy people are sometimes, my bad."

Speaking of that, "Owl how strong are you, and is that your power?" She never did get the chance to tell me her power.

"My powers? Oh ya I have those." Oh my god this girl. "Yeah being, like really strong is part of it, but I also have this transformation thing I can do and I'm pretty sure I heal so fast that I stopped aging."

"You stopped ageing!?" What kind of broken power does she have. "Man, lucky, I just control bugs." I try not to say to dejectedly.

"I don't know about lucky, I think I've been 19 for around 5 years. It gets kinda old after a while." Her smile dims a little after she says that. "Oh, wanna go inside for a minute, I can show you the transformation thingy and you can show me your cool bugs." Now she excited again.

"Well, sure I guess we can." I lead her inside and to the living room. She then starts to take off her pink hoodie. "Does that have something to do with your power?"

"Yeah this is my last good hoodie and I don't wanna ruin it." She finishes taking off her hoodie and underneath she has on a black tank top. I see that to go along with her super strength, she's also fairly toned. And that the hoodie hid some rather impressive 'assets'.

I look down at myself and unconsciously compare myself to her. You know if I only interact with attractive people, I'm never going to have a positive outlook for myself.

"Hey, if you're comparing yourself to me, don't. You're your own person Tay. Besides I think you're a cutie." She then lightly punches me in the arm, and now I have a burning blush. "Now watch this."

She then slightly hunches over, and slowly, white and red glowing quills start to grow for her the back of her neck and across her shoulders. The quills are rather thick and pulse lightly with what I guess is her heartbeat.

Then over her left shoulder, A large bubble of purple flesh starts growing. It swells, and pulses, until it ripples and pops revealing a huge appendage. I would have called it an arm because that's what it resembles, until it turns into a large sword at what would be the forearm. It's about 6 foot long, purple at the base and gradually turns white down the length. It's incredibly muscled, and to be honest, incredibly intimidating.

"Holy shit! Owl, that's your changer power."

"Cool huh. When I change I get even stronger and tougher, I could transform farther but it's not very fun." She then starts flexing her sword arm.

"You can transform more?"

She shrugs with all three arms. "I can do my whole body, but the further I go, the harder it gets to think straight. If I go all the way, I kind of just run off instinct, and that's never a good thing." She then gives a little laugh. "Anyway what's your power like."

"Mine probably won't be as cool as yours."

"Tay I just said to not compare yourself to me, that means my power as well." She then gives me a half amused, half stern look. "Besides, my friend has a power, so I'll like it no matter what."

"Fine, fine." I then start to gather up about a hundred flying insects and start to make them fly in patterns in the air.

"Woah! That's so cool." Owl comments and looks absolutely mesmerized by my insects, and I start to make them fly in different patterns and do little tricks. Owl looks as blown away as a kid at their first firework show, with oohs and aahs to go with it. I give a little smile at seeing how much she likes my power.

"What's your range, and how many can you control at a time?"

"About two blocks, and all the bugs in those two blocks."

She looks away from the insect circus and gives me a blank look. "Your power is bullshit."

"What does that mean?" Sounding a little indignant.

"I could punch a hole through someone, you could put down an entire riot. Can you do anything else with it?"

I shake my head a little for a second. "Well I can control them all individually, like multitasking. And I can loosely sense things through them."

"That's even more awesome and bullshit, if you ever talk down on your cool ass power, I'll hurt you. As a friend, just to set you straight." She gives me a beaming smile, and I feel reassured and threatened, it's a funny combination. "Have you told any of your other friends that you have powers." How could she ask such a painful question so innocently.

Well we haven't really talked about my life to deeply when we hang out, so it's kind of my own fault. "Actually Owl, you're really my only friend."

She then looks shocked and sharply inhales. " But you're so fun to hang out with?" Then gets an, honestly over determined look on her face. "Then I'll be the best, best friend ever!"

I could see the fire in her eyes as she said this. "Um, thanks?" I don't even come close to returning the passion she just spoke with, but she appears happy enough at my reply. I start to look away to try and gather my thoughts, and see the clock on the wall "Oh, it's getting late, I need to go to school soon. I don't think we'll be able to get a jog in today Owl, sorry."

"Wait, do you walk to school." I nod "Then why don't I just go with you today, that'd still be fun."

I wasn't expecting that. "I guess you can come with, just give me a minute to get ready.

* * *

After getting all ready me and Owl head to Winslow, it almost feels like a normal morning walk with how we talk back and forth with each other. It alleviates some of the dread I normally feel about going to school.

Of course as we approach the gates I see that my timing and luck couldn't be shittier.

At the gates stands Emma and Sophia, they look like they just arrived as well and are talking with each other. Emma seems to be telling a joke or something, but she turns her head as she's talking and sees me. Her face lights with a cruel smirk and she pats Sophia's arm and points in my direction, they then both start to walk towards us.

"Well well, look decided to show up today. Little Miss loser and her new friend." Emma says and gives a snide little laugh.

I immediately look down as my posture goes from happy to dreadful fast. Owl goes quiet to.

Sophia then steps forward and looks Owl up and down. "I wouldn't hang around this wimpy bitch if I were you, you might catch her pathetic-ness." They then both laugh as I retreat into myself farther.

I look to Owl to see her reaction, she just sniffs the the air quick and her eyes light up. She turns to me and gives me a smile, though her normal smiles are beaming and cheerful, this one seems bloodthirsty and vicious. I feel a slight shiver go down my spine.

"Don't you worry Taylor." She lightly elbows me. She also just called me Taylor, that's a first. "I'll just give them a quick talk, I'll bet it'll even be fun." She takes a couple steps toward them before I can tell her that it's a bad idea.

"Hi, I'm Owl." Sophia's eyes narrow and her smirk slowly fades away, but Emma still just smirks cruelly. Owl smells the air again, then focuses in on Sophia. "Ooh you smell nice, I like that, you also reek of..." But then she starts talking softer as she walks closer to Sophia, and I can't make out what she's saying anymore.

Owl continues to talk to her in a hushed voice and Sophia's face runs a gambit of emotions. First her eyes go wide and she looks at Owl, then me, and then back to Owl. She looks angry, but I think I see a little fear on her face. Then she starts to pale and her fist begins to clench and loosen, like she's trying to grasp at something. Owl then grabs her collar and pulls her in close and whispers in her ear. Sophia seems angry at first and grabs Owl's arm, but that anger soon melts away, and she looks terrified. She shoots a glance at Emma, then focuses back onto Owl, and gives a shaky nod. Owl lets go and Sophia puts a couple feet between them.

Owl then turns to me and gives me one of her good smiles, before she skips over to me, picks me up in a hug and twirls me around. She puts me down. "Don't worry Tay, we came to an agreement." Then she talks a little louder. "Have a good day today, tell me tomorrow if there's any problems." Then she shoots Sophia a look and winks, before giving me one last hug and walking off.

Emma then gives an indignant scoff. "Where the hell do you think you're going huh, you got a problem you..." Sophia interrupts her by grabbing her arm and whispering in her ear. Emma's eyes go wide as she looks at Owl walking away, then at me. They both give me one last glance, with Sophia shooting me an angry look, before they both walk away quickly.

I look around to see that everyone has just left me here at the gates of the school, and I'm so fucking confused.

Well, I think that probably could have gone better.

* * *

 **AN/ If you wanted to see what Owl had to say, don't worry, I have what is basically an interlude planned a couple chapters from now. It'll have a couple characters points of view in it, and I think it'll be a little bit fun. If you love it, hated it or just thought 'ehh, it's another Worm fic' let me know in a review, I'd love to read what you guys thought.**


	4. Chapter 4

Was today a good day. Yes?

Today at school was a weird one. I wasn't bullied by the trio, most of the mindless people that followed the trio's lead left me alone. Hell, Sophia was actively intercepting people from messing with me, she was glaring daggers at me the entire time, but she still stopped people. She ended up leaving a few hours into the day though.

I spent the whole day thinking they were going to be planning something, like how the day led up to the locker incident, but in the end nothing happened.

What the hell did Owl say. The smile she had when she was talking to Sophia still gives me shivers when I think about it.

At the end of the day I leave the school still feeling apprehensive, and walked home with none of my confusion being cured.

The next day when I leave the house, Owl is sitting on the curb with her hands planted behind her, cloud watching.

"Aren't you cold out here."

She looks up until she's looking at me upside down. "Tay" Jumps to her feet, and starts walking over "Nah, temperature don't really affect me to much, makes finding fun easier in bad conditions."

May as well get to the point. "What did you say to Sophia yesterday, She left me alone the whole day, and she just shot me dirty looks once in a while."

"Who?" She tilts her head to the side in confusion.

I shake mine. "The girl you talked to at my school before you left, the people that we're... bullying me."

"Oh, her." There's a little fire in Owl's eyes now. "Well, Sophie and Red were saying mean things to you, so I had to set them straight. And Sophie smelled nice, but she reeked of containment foam, so I figured that she would know who I was."

Containment foam, and "What does her smelling nice have to do with anything?"

"Oh, that's simple." Then she looks around and gives me a conspiratorial look. "You also smell nice, but what's something that's unique to you, that we both have in common."

"We're girls?" I hope that's not it, but at the same time I'm starting to get a sinking feeling in my gut that tells me I wish it were that simple.

"No." She then turns and points at a beetle. "Hey, can you make that bug do a flip quick" I do, and give her a questioning look. "Wow Tay, that's a pretty unique thing you can do."

Well yeah, we've already gone over our powers. We both have powers, We're both ca...

I stop dead. My eyes go wide, and fists clench.

No.

It can't be true.

I've been bullied by a cape for a year and a half?

Who is she, has she used her power on me and I didn't even know it? She smelled like containment foam? Only the PRT use containment foam. And the only capes they have that are Sophia's age are Wards. Sophia's a Ward!

I'm shaking, in horror or rage, I can't tell. I'm gasping for air, then I'm hyperventilating.

My eyes are open, but I'm not seeing anything, I'm so pissed. I've being bullied by a Ward. But which one is she. Fuck, the only one that fits is Shadow Stalker. I feel like I'm being moved, but I just close my eyes. The shaking intensifies though.

Fuck, fuck fuck fuck. This can't be happening.

I feel a hard slap to my face as my head is knocked to one side. Whoever did it, is cover with insects on reflex. I turn to see who hit me, but all I see is a is a form covered in bugs and shadowed by them, Shadow!

In a panic, I yell and tackle Shadow Stalker, she must have been so pissed yesterday that she came to deal with me. We land on the floor and I start punching and hitting with all my might.

"You came to deal with me you bitch! I put up with it for more than a year, you're not getting me!"

I'm putting everything I have in this, every shattered dream, ruined school day, and every memory of that damned locker into my hits. I keep going for a few minutes, but I start to slow.

I'm crying now, my hits getting weaker as more tears streak down my face. My screams of rage turn into sobs. I just stop hitting altogether, and I'm just holding her down.

A bug covered hand moves up, and I brace for a hit, but after a second I feel the hand cup my cheek and turn my head to look.

I hear something but can't make it out, the adrenaline pumping through me makes my blood sound like jackhammers in my ears. I keep hearing it, and it gets clearer and clearer as I start to calm until "Tay."

I disperse the insects as quickly as possible and see Owl on the ground, hair a mess, clothes bitten through, and covered in blood. She just looks up at me and smiles softly.

"Owl!" I look at her, just smiling at me kindly, then I look at my hands, splattered with blood. Her blood. My only friends blood. I gasp and get off her quickly. I turn and see that we're in my kitchen. I hear her moving and see she's getting up slowly. She brushes off her hoodie and takes a step towards me. I flinch and close my eyes, readying for the payback, and it would only be fair, hell I would deserve it.

But I feel her arms go around me and pull me close "Owl" I say shakily.

"Shh, it's okay, it's my fault. I should have been softer in telling you something like that." And pulls me into the embrace.

"But, I thought you were her and hurt you." I start to shake again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I'm so..."

"Shh, Tay it's okay, I understand." She softly rubs my back, and pulls my head into her shoulder, and whispers. "It's okay, I don't blame you. It's going to be okay."

* * *

Owl stays with me at home, again. And I skip school, again.

Me and Owl spend the day talking about my freak out, and I finally tell her about the bullying I've gone through. The more I tell her, the more agitated she becomes. She lets me talk uninterrupted, and talking about it hurts a little, but it also feels like a weight is finally being taken off my shoulders. The pain lessens the more I share, until I've told her everything from Emma leaving me behind, to the locker incident a few months ago.

After she gives me another hug and some consoling words, I can confidently say that Owl is the greatest friend. That and Owl hugs may be the best hugs.

We then talk about capes, and how dangerous being alone is. Since I now absolutely refuse to join the Protectorate, Owl suggests that me and her team up, mostly so she can keep a closer eye on me due to how 'horribly squishy' I am. Her words. We plan out how we would work as a team and come down to some simple ideas. Mostly it boils down to me harassing everything from range, and anyone that wants to keep fighting, Owl will beat the piss out of.

She even talked me into skipping school tomorrow to help her find things to make a costume. I told her I could make her a costume, but she said she doesn't need armor and that it would take to long.

We messed around, and had fun until dad walked through the door.

"Taylor, I'm home." He gave his usual greeting as he hung up his coat and walked into the living room. He turns and sees me and Owl on the couch. "Oh, who's this." He tries to put on a friendly face, but he can't help but to look a little distrusting at the stranger in his house.

"Dad, this is my friend, Owl."

She looks from me to dad, then gets a big smile and walks up to him. "Hi, it's nice to meet you, I'm Owl." She says cheerfully, and sticks out her hand.

He looks a little taken back by Owl's energy, but recovers and shakes her hand. "Uh, hi I'm Danny, Taylor's dad. Are you one of her school friends."

I cringe a little when he says school friends

"No, Tay and me are jogging buddies. The bestest jogging buddies." She then puts an arm over my shoulder and pulls me closer, and gives dad a beaming smile and a thumbs up.

"Well that's good. It makes me feel better knowing Taylor isn't going out alone." He smiles a little.

"Don't worry, I got her back. I know karate." She then looks very smug about that fact.

"Oh, um, okay that's good hear." He doesn't look as impressed as Owl was probably hoping.

"Anyway, I better get going, see you tomorrow Tay." She gives me one last hug, waves at dad, and leaves.

Dad then turns back to me. "So, your new friend seems... nice?"

"She's a little weird, but don't worry, she is really nice, she's a good friend." I give him the best reassuring smile I can give.

He sighs. "Okay, if you're vouching for her, then she can't be to bad. Just try to be careful, okay. Well I'm going to start dinner." Then he goes to the kitchen.

The rest of the night returns to the normal routine me and dad have, and passes quietly.

* * *

The next day, me and Owl go for our normal jog. After that we come back to the house to plan out her costume.

We brainstorm for a while, Owl provided some ideas, but when her first idea was just her in a bikini and a domino mask, I shut her down and took over as lead designer.

"But Tay." Owl whines "It would save so much money on costume maintenance. Not to mention, it would be easy to change into in a pinch."

"Your not going out in just a bikini."

"It's not just a bikini, I'll have a mask on to." I shoot her a deadpan look. She smiles. "Fine, fine show me your ideas, oh grand master of costumes."

I nod my head. "Damn right, now try to follow the master at work, grasshopper." We both laugh for a bit.

After a while we have a rough concept and guideline we want to follow, but won't really know what the finished product will look like until we see what materials we're able to scrounge up.

We then get ready to head out to shop at some thrift stores around the city to get stuff, and just burn the day away with sightseeing. Owl insists I bring my costume in case something 'fun' happens.

Her sense of 'fun' encompasses basically anything that could possibly happen in a day, but I pack it to make her feel better.

* * *

After we got all the things we'd hopefully need for the costume, Owl insisted she pay for her own costume, we started to walk through the city. We chit chatted for a while and slowing headed deeper into the city.

A few hours into our sightseeing adventure three cop cars go zooming past, with their sirens blaring, heading towards the nicer part of the city.

Owl slowly turns to me with a look of enlightenment plastered on her face. "Wanna go check it out, this might give you a chance to be super heroic."

"Should we though, the cops seem to be on it already." She doesn't stop smiling though, damn I can't fight that look. "Fine, let's go." I didn't really put up much of a fight, but I guess I'm curious to. She gives a cheer in response and we both jog towards where the sound of sirens went.

We catch up after a couple minutes of jogging and see a barricade of cop cars aligned in front of the bank. The police are organizing themselves behind their cars and radioing in information.

"Awesome an old fashioned bank heist, now we have to help." She looks even more excited now somehow, and grabs my arm, dragging me into the nearby alley. "We can change in here."

Owl takes off her hoodie, and starts to rummage through her bag.

"Owl, I don't think we should interfere, what if it serious."

She pulls out a teal beanie and stuffs her hair into, then puts it on. "Don't worry, I'm sort of bulletproof, and you'll be out of range with your bugs. It'll be fine."

I nod "As long as we try to help some people, I guess we could." Well I wanted to be a hero, I guess it's time to act like one. I start to put on my costume, and when I'm done we both hide our bags in the alley and run back to the scene.

As we approach, an armored van pulls up, and out pops the Wards, Aegis, Vista, Clockblocker, Gallant, Kid Win,and Browbeat. I also see Glory Girl fly up and settle on the roof of the bank. Their really pulling out all the stops for this one.

We get closer and Clockblocker notices us first. "Hey, you can't be here right now, you need to leave for your own safety." He puts his hand up to stop us.

"We're capes, we're here to help." I tell him.

He thinks for a second. "You're heroes." we nod "okay, the help would be appreciated, what are your names and what can you do."

Damn, knew I was forgetting something important. "I don't have a name yet, but I can control bugs." I shake his hand.

"Were you the one that fought Lung a few days ago?"

"Yeah, that was me."

He nods. "Okay, well we didn't get a name for you so we came up with Skitter, just something to put on paper to refer to you as. If you don't like the name, just give me a different one and I can get that sorted out."

Owl cuts in. "Cool you got a name now, and that means I get to call you Skitty from now on." She's practically glowing at the idea of giving me a new nickname, and Clockblocker gives off a laugh.

"Well it seems the choice was made for you." He turns to Owl. "And you Miss?"

"Oh, I'm a high level brute, I hit hard and take hits." She goes to shake his hand. "My names Owl."

He reaches to shake her hand, but stops half way and tenses. "Did you say Owl?"

"Yeah, name's Owl, I'm here to help." I look at Clockblocker, he's very tense, then I look over at the other Wards who were watching the introduction and see they're all tensed as well.

"Who are you here to help exactly?" He questions.

"You guys, you're Wards right? I love helping you guys, that and I've never stopped a bank robbery before." She's still smiling despite the situation.

Clockblocker slowly relaxes, but doesn't take his eyes off her. "Yeah, I guess you do help Wards now and then." He audibly gulps. "F-follow me then." He walks us over to the other Wards.

"Okay, guys this is The Owl, she's here to help today. Quick thing to catch you two up, I'm Aegis." Clockblocker, now Aegis, starts to inform us. "Me and Clockblocker switched costumes to try and fake out one of the robbers, named Hellhound. She has monster dogs, the plan is for the dogs to hopefully target Clockblocker, dress as me, so he can freeze them and take them out of the fight sooner rather than later. With the dogs pacified, the rest of this should be much easier. Holed up in the bank are the rest of the Undersiders. Grue, who emits so form of smoke that's impossible to see through. Regent can affect your movements which will make fighting him a little tricky. Last one is Tattletale, who is some form of thinker, we don't know if she's a precog or a combat thinker but approach her with caution." Aegis finishes his explanation. "Skitter, do you think you'd be able to be ranged support for this, just to try to distract them?"

"Yeah, I'd be able to do that easily. I could get some bugs into the bank to scout a little if you want me to."

He nods. "Do that then, more information will only help at this point. Owl, would you be able to help distract the dogs and support anyone who needs help?"

"You can count on me Captain." She stands at attention and gives a salute.

Before we can get any farther the bank doors open and out pours what can only be Grue's smoke. We all get into position and I start to gather my insects and send a small swarm into the bank. I set at least one bug on each person in there and slowly build a picture of where everyone is and sense four people who must be the Undersiders. I sense a crowd of people start walking towards the entrance.

"Aegis, possible hostages being sent through the smoke right now." As I say that he starts guiding the Wards. The hostages come through the smoke with arms up, and go to one side of the street and lay down.

As soon as the hostages are all down I sense three large things start making their way to the doors. "Dogs incoming, one person is riding on back of one of them, the rest of the Undersiders are still inside. There are still hostages inside."

Owl and Clockblocker move to the front, with Aegis a little off to the side of them. Vista is in the back, watching intensely and I set up by her. Kid Win is floating on his hoverboard, laser pistols trained on the bank entrance. Gallant and Browbeat stand in front of me and Vista, ready to jump in at any moment. Glory Girl is perched on top of the bank, ready to dive down to attack.

A couple seconds pass, then the dogs leap out of the smoke and head straight at Owl and Clock. As they get closer, one breaks off and dives toward Aegis. Kid Win peppers the beasts with lasers, but it doesn't seem to be doing much. Aegis jumps and flies at the dog and hits it head on sending it reeling for a second, but it recovers and clamps down on his arm and forces him to the ground.

The dog with the rider goes at Clock, and the other attacks Owl. The dog makes it to Clock and swipes a paw at him and sends him tumbling head over heels, he comes to a stop when he impacts against a cop car, he starts moving but can't get his feet under him. He managed to tag the dog though when it hit and stopped it in time, sending Hellhound flying off the back from the sudden stop. She gets up and looks at her dog, then starts running to Clockblocker to keep fighting him. I start to harass her with bugs, but she soldiers through.

Vista starts expanding the distance between the two. Browbeat buffs up a little and sprints over to Aegis and tackles the dog off him. Now free, Aegis and Browbeat team up to fight the dog.

Owl's beast collides with her and the two start a ferocious grapple, she throws it back and with some room between them she sends out a kick at it's head. It connects with a sickening crack and removes the dogs lower jaw. The dog lets out a gargled yowl, Hellhound turns and sees the dog and gives up on Clockblocker. She runs over and calls out to it. The dog disengages and runs to her, letting her mount it.

Clockblocker finally gets up, and dizzily makes his way over to where Aegis and Browbeat have pinned the dog down, and tags it.

It looks like we're doing pretty good, with only Hellhound and the dog she's riding still in the fight. As soon as we take them down, it should be rather easy clean up in the bank.

Then from the bank comes Grue and Regent, with Tattletale behind them. Browbeat starts to run at them, but Regent does something and Browbeat trips over his own foot and face plants. Grue starts giving off smoke and runs over to Browbeat to fight him.

Then things go from bad to horribly worse.

With the quick distraction from the other Undersiders, Hellhound's dog pounce at Owl. It's tail coils around her waist and throws her. Unfortunately, Gallant was lining up a shot at Hellhound at the same time. The shot nears her, but Owl intercepts the beam in air due to being thrown.

She hits the ground and doesn't move for a second. Then she starts shaking. Two blade arms explode out of her back, and her quills emerge from her back in all their glory. She gets to her hands and knees and screams, repeatedly slamming her extra arms into the pavement. Everyone hears it and all the fighting stops, all attention guided to Owl. After a minute she looks up, and I see that her eyes have changed as well. The whites have turned to deep black. The blue has changed to a blood red, and the look of pure rage is plastered on her face.

She turns to the dog, then almost quicker than I could follow, leaps at it. She lands at it's shoulder and back hands Hellhound off the animal, sending her tumbling. She focuses back on the dog and with a rapid swipe of her blade arm, separates it's head from it's body. It's body slumps to the ground.

"Judas!" Hellhound screams, and runs at Owl.

Sh pulls back and launches a punch at Owl, but Owl grabs her forearm before the hit connects. With a quick flick of her hand, Hellhound's arm snaps. Owl lets go and Hellhound falls backwards, screaming in pain. While on the ground, she kicks at Owl, but her foot is caught. Owl plants a foot on Hellhound's stomach, pulls her leg straight, and the most horrible thing I've ever seen happens.

Owl bends down and takes a bite out of Hellhound's leg, straight through shin. I don't think I'll ever forget her screams. She's calling out for help, but everyone is paralyzed by what's happening. Owl keeps taking chunks out of her leg. Hellhound beats against Owl, but Owl doesn't even notice.

Grue suddenly runs out of his smoke towards Hellhound, with Regent trailing just behind him, scepter raised. Grue punches Owl in the back of the head and she lets go of Hellhound from the hit. She then focuses on him.

Grue goes into a boxing stance and hits Owl in the face a couple times with some rapid punches, but Owl kicks out suddenly, and one of Grue's knees is now facing the wrong way. He starts to fall forward, but Owl intercepts his fall with an uppercut. His helmet is violently ripped off his head, and his jaw looks pulverized.

With her back turned Regent stabs her in the back with his specter, Owl gives a little jolt, but recovers. She then starts cackling madly. Without turning around, one of her blade arms swings out and takes off Regents hand, the scepter sent flying away. She then grabs the front of his shirt and headbutts him twice. He falls backwards with a now ruined face. Owl steps over him and plants her foot on his head.

Just as she's about to turn his head into paste against the asphalt, there's a bang and a hole forms in Owl's forehead. Tattletale is on the bank steps, shaking, but the gun trained on Owl's head is perfectly still. The hole in her head rapidly closes, and she turns to Tattletale and starts to slowly walk to her.

Shots start to ring out as quickly as Tattletale can pull the trigger, everyone a perfect headshot, but none of it slows Owl in the slightest. Tattletale pauses only to reload.

When she stops to grab another magazine, Owl reaches behind her and plucks a quill from her back and throws it at Tattletale. It hits her right shoulder, sending her arm with the gun falling one way, and the rest of her falls screaming in the other direction. She tumbles down the steps, clutching madly where her arm use to be.

Owl starts to cackle again, but it's interrupted when she starts to convulse madly. She drunkenly stumbles over to a lamppost, still shaking, and rest her head against it. She sags and goes limp against the post, but stays standing.

The only sounds on the street are the Undersiders calling out for help, or mercy. And the faint sound of Owl sobbing softly against the post.

What the fuck just happened.

* * *

 **AN/ Finally getting to see Owl cut loose a little. Damn those Gallant lasers.**

 **This one took a while to get out because I went to Hawaii for vacation, I heavily recommend if you have the chance to go, take it. Now I'm back and will be trying to keep to an every other week update schedule, but let's be real, life happens in the worst ways sometimes so that schedule might not stay** **consistent**

 **If you liked the chapter, leave a review and tell me what you liked. If you didn't, also review and tell me what you didn't like. It'll keep me humble.**

 **-Killa**


	5. Chapter 5 Interlude 1

"I called this meeting to inform you all of a new threat that has been suspected of entering the Bay." I settle into the chair at the front of all the members of the ENE Protectorate and Wards. "This threat is an incredibly powerful, nomadic parahuman named 'Owl'. Over the past 15 years, they have slowly made their way East." I hit a button on a remote and the screen to the side of me pulls up the most recent picture of Owl. It shows her in a blood splattered yellow hoodie, smiling and waving at the camera.

Assault leans forward. "Director, you're telling us that this girl, who looks like she's barely 20, is such a huge threat."

I lean forward, giving him a glare. "Yes Assault, I'm telling you that the girl with over 500 confirmed kills over the past 15 years, is indeed a threat."

Assault looks stunned with that answer, Armsmaster grimaces, Miss Militia's weapons are a whirl of energy as it tries to pick a form to take. The rest of the gathered heroes are floored by that announcement.

"No matter what she may look like, know that she is a definite threat. Thankfully she is more of a threat to villainous capes and the other scum of the city, but if you approach her in the wrong way, you are in danger. A few years ago she was labelled hands off. That means she is enough of a threat that if you engage her, you will not be receiving backup. There will be no arguing that order. It comes straight from the Chief Director herself."

I take a sip of water and scan the room. The Wards look uneasy, understandable really. The Protectorate members just lean in and absorb the information, except Armsmaster, who has fought Owl in the past and lost, badly. He looks sour, probably wishes he could go to his lab and think up ways to neutralize Owl.

"She is a high level Brute, Mover, and Changer, with an incredibly high rate of regeneration. Unchanged, she is dangerous, but when she started to transform her abilities grow in strength exponentially. She grows an extra set of arms from around her shoulder blades. Both are capped with large, sharp blades. Along the back of her neck and across her shoulder, she grows ten inch needles, or quills. She can pull them off and throw them with enough force to piece several inches of steel. She regenerates at a rate so fast that any damage she sustains may as well be useless. She will win any prolonged engagement simply because she doesn't tire. The only real way of countering her is by staying outside of her range. Velocity should be able to avoid any attacks due to his power, Shadow Stalker, you as well should be able to avoid being hit, but I don't you'd be able to get away. Aegis, you and Kid Win would be able to fly away, but would be at risk if she were to throw anything."

"The safest people to be near her are children and Wards. Even though she has no problem with killing, she has a strict moral code when it comes to those two groups of people. She will also latch on to one person in a city she meets and befriend them." I look towards the Wards and say this more to them. "She is incredibly protective, if she sees any of you Wards in trouble, she will attempt to protect you. The only thing that will get in the way of that is if someone threatens the friend she made, or if one of you do something to upset her greatly."

"She met a Ward out West and became his friend, a couple weeks later an operation went wrong and he was killed by a cape gang. She found out and sat where he died for three days and mourned. Then, for the next week, she hunted down every member of the gang and killed them all, slowly."

"If she makes a friend here and we find out who it is, that person will then also be considered hands off."

"The Think Tank has been working on Owl for years, and have come up with a few points. She is a possibly very traumatized, very destructive person. They think she was kidnapped at a very young age. This most likely led to her trigger event. She is incredibly violent against people that hurt children and people who carry out sexual assault."

Triumph asks "What makes the Think Tank sure it's a kidnapping, couldn't those things also point towards an incredibly abusive home life early on?"

"Although that would also work, the first place she was reported being at was a compound run by a gang who traded manly in human trafficking and child prostitution out West. It seems she must have triggered in the compound and ended up killing everyone in it, kidnappers and victims alike leading to a body count of 43. She then fled and started a new life in Arizona."

"She herself is a rather promiscuous person and might make jokes or leading comments, but try not to encourage her if you have to interact. Steer the conversation away, she is the type of person that takes the word 'no' also helps that she is entertained very easily. Avoid aggressive comments and try to be polite, she would likely talk to some of the worst people alive if they were being nice. She doesn't hold grudges, she bases likes and dislikes off the present circumstance. The only way of making her hate you on sight is if you hurt or make poor comments about kids, Wards, or any friends she makes."

I take a deep breath, then tell them all the worst part. "She is also, a cannibalistic cape." There are shocked gasps and looks of disgust. "The Think Tank has deduced that it is power induced, and her hunting for people to consume accounts for most of the people she has killed over the years."

"Normally I wouldn't include the Wards into this mess, I would usually just have Miss Militia or Aegis pass the information down, but since Owl somehow always comes in contact with the Wards in every city she goes to, I feel it would be better to inform you all personally. Now are there any last questions?"

Everyone is silent for a minute, then Aegis raises his hand. I give him a nod. "How sure are we that Owl is in the city?"

"A few days ago BBPD found two bodies, most likely two Merchants giving where they were discovered and dressed. One seemed to have his chest caved in from a sudden hit we're thinking was a punch. The other suffered blunt force trauma to the head and was partially consumed. The bite marks match the dental records of confirmed Owl victims. Therefore we're certain she is in the city, and even if she's not, we are edging on the side of caution for this threat. Even if she shows up and offers to help for whatever reason, be careful, I don't want any of you injured or dead." I give them all one last hard look to drive home my point.

* * *

The Boss gave us a tip that Lung was going to try to get back at us tonight for hitting a few of his stash houses. We're riding Bitch's dogs toward where we were told Lung would be in hopes of heading him off.

As we get closer, I can hear what seems like Lung yelling.

 _Angry, in pain, frustrated._

Someone's decided to fight him for us. We slowly approach and I peek around the corner. I see Lung partially transformed, covered in bugs.

 _Pissed, fell off a roof, dazed, going to murder someone_.

And on the ground by a few feet away by a dumpster is a girl in a costume.

 _Wounded, will survive, also fell off roof, kicked into dumpster, first night out, terrified._

Oh no, we need to step in with the dogs while we can. Just before I get everyone's attention to attack, something catches my eye. A figure on the edge of a building.

 _Readying to jump, going to attack Lung, thinks it's fun._

She then jumps, and lands on his back feet first. After putting Lung's face in the ground she then flips off his back. She kicks him in the head when he goes to recover and sends him spinning away.

 _Strong enough to knock Lung unconscious in one hit to the head, head caved in, healing quickly, possible brain damage, may not regain consciousness._

What? This girl might have just turned the rage dragon into a vegetable? That's one hell of a kick.

They're talking now, but it's just dark enough for me to not make anything out besides that jump kick girl is very excited. I tell the team to mount up and make our entrance. We round the corner and I hear.

"Awesome, does that mean I'm now the toughest?" Jump kick girl asks.

"That definitely could be the case." I says as we walk towards them.

 _Jump kick looks excited that there's more people, also readying to fight just in case, will protect other girl. Other girl happy to see Jump Kick, cautious of us._

"Who are you guys." _Not cautious,_ _afraid, of us and not being able to help friend._

"Don't worry we're not here to fight" _Wondering how I knew about her worries_. "I'm psychic, it's what I do, no we came here to thank you. We're the Undersiders and Lung was after us so thanks for the save."

 _Suspicious of the mind reader thing, heard we're villains, is a hero, upset she saved villains but still happy she saved people._

"You guys are villains right, so what you're going to thank us then rob us." _Still doesn't like us though._

Jump Kick then looks at her friend, and back at us. "Wait you're villains, that means you're bad guys. Do you wanna fight me, ooh that could be lots of fun." She smiles at us and I don't really like the gleam in her eye.

I'm about to respond to that when my power kicks in.

 _Happy to fight, won't kill us, wants to have fun, will hurt us, protect friend, maim us, enjoys fighting, thinking about ripping us limb from limb, doesn't care for villains, strong, incredibly strong, hungry, wants to feast, on us._

What!

 _Rethinking the killing thing, if we threaten her friend we're dead, knows friend won't be able to defend herself, very dead, will eat us alive, play with us like a cat, pain, death, cannibal._

I'm shaking now and I'm having trouble processing the information. I lean over to Grue.

"We need to leave right now. The blonde is more dangerous than Lung and willing to kill if we pick a fight." He's stunned for a second, then gives a small nod.

"No, no, we don't want a fight. We just wanted to thank you. Well if that's it we'll uh, get going." Then we beat a hasty retreat, I want to be as far away from that girl as possible.

I never want to see that person again, and I know I'll be having nightmares tonight. If I can even go to sleep after being fed that information.

* * *

It's been a week since we had that meeting about the new psycho that came to the Bay. Armsmaster found her a couple days ago, and got chewed out by that fat ass director for almost fighting her.

Idiot.

Me and Emma are waiting by the gate to see if that loser Hebert will end up showing her face today or not. She thinks she can just get away, that's not how this works.

Besides the more we can fuck with her, the more of a predator Emma will become.

We're talking and Emma is telling me a joke when something catches her eye and she pats my arm and points. I look over and see that Hebert actually decided to show up, and some girl is walking with her.

"Well well, look decided to show up today. Little Miss loser and her new friend." Emma says and gives a little laugh.

I see Hebert visibly deflate, but the girl next to her loses her smile and her face hardens. She kinda looks familiar, but I like the look in her eyes, she looks like a fighter. Why's she hanging out with Hebert though.

"I wouldn't hang around this wimpy bitch if I were you, you might catch her pathetic-ness." I say, and me and Emma laugh at the look Hebert gives us as she withers.

The girl gets a dangerous look, and gives Hebert a vicious smile. She says something quietly to her and starts to walk over to me and Emma. I didn't think it would be that easy, but it seems the girl's smart and knows how to pick the winning side. I think I like this one. The look of worry on Hebert's face just sweetens the deal.

The girl stops a couple feet in front of us. "Hi, I'm Owl." No. No it couldn't be. But why would she be here, that's impossible.

Unless she can tell how strong I am and chose me to be her friend. Yeah, that's it, we're both alphas so she came to me to team up with her.

"Ooh, you smell nice, I like that." She takes a step closer. "You also reek of containment foam, and that means either you're not a nice person or you're a Ward. That girl you talked bad about just now is my friend." What! She chose that loser to be her friend and not me. But that means that I just shit talked her new friend.

Owl takes a step forward and grabs my collar and pulls me closer. I grab her arm as a reaction and almost use my power to get away, but I'm at school, there's to many eyes right now for me to take the risk.

"I don't like when people talk bad to my friends, and the way she looked so defeated when you started talking, I can tell that is has been happening for a while. So you're going to shut up and listen to what I have to say, or I'm going to rip your head off."

She doesn't give me a chance to respond. "If I find out that she keeps being bullied, I don't even care who does it, I'm going to blame you. I have your scent now, I'll find you." She looks over at Emma and smirks. "She your friend? Well if I find out you kept up your shit." Her eyes turn red and they seem to almost burn a hole in me. "I'll break your legs. Then I'll grab Red over there and slowly gut her in front of you. I'll show you how I like to savor my prey. After she's all spent, I'm going to skin you alive and eat every delectable bite, and when I'm finally satisfied, I'll rip your arm off and beat you to death with it." She smiles at me and it shows way to many teeth for my comfort.

"If this shit keeps going, I'll find you, there's nowhere you'll be able to hide, do I make myself clear." I nod quickly, and she lets go of my collar. I put some distance between us.

That monster just turns around and skips away to talk to Hebert. I can't hear what she says at first, but at the end she speaks up.

"Have a good day today, tell me tomorrow if there's any problems." Then she shoots me a look and winks, before giving Hebert a hug and walking off.

Emma then gives an indignant scoff. "Where the hell do you think you're going huh, you got a problem you-"

I stop her as fast as I can, she gives me a look.

"Remember that psycho I told you about." I whisper to her, and she nods. "That's her, we can't do anything to Hebert" I almost spit the name. "And we need to stop everyone from doing anything to her if we want to keep living."

Emma gives Owl's retreating form a fearful look, and I shoot Hebert a glare. This is all that weaklings fault somehow, she couldn't just curl up in a ball and die alone somewhere could she.

We head into the school, and for the next couple hours I play interference for anyone that tries to fuck with Hebert. I eventually leave half way through the day, and head to the PRT headquarters to report what happened.

Of course when I get there I can't just go and report what happened to some agent, no I have to report it to Piggy in person.

And one useless explanation later.

"So you're telling me that Owl just showed up and started threatening you, am I getting this right?" The Director asks me, like I didn't just sit here and tell her just that.

"Yeah, that's what I said."

She just puts her head down for a second and pinches the bridge of her nose, and mutters something. "So she shows up to your school, with her new friend, a classmate of your's, and starts to threaten you. And what's this classmates name?"

"Why do you need to know that?" I try not to make it sound to defensive.

She narrows her eyes at me. "So we know who to avoid, or did you already forget last weeks meeting, and did you even read the dossier we gave out afterwards?"

Hebert is just ingraining herself further and further into my shit-list for making my life difficult. "Yeah I read the paperwork, and the serial killer's new buddy's named Taylor Hebert. Some nobody from my grade."

"Well we have a name, we'll get a face later to match it and pass the information to people who need to know. Now regarding your story, do you plan on telling the truth now or later Shadow Stalker?"

I bristle at that. "Are you calling me a liar? That psycho just showed up, showed off her friend and threaten to kill me and my friend."

"I'm not stupid Shadow Stalker, I know you don't play well with anyone. So I want to know what you said to Owl or her friend to piss off one of the strongest capes in the city, now." That bitch starts to raise her voice at me and gives me a glare.

"I'm telling you that's what happened, now what are you going to do to help me, she threatened to kill me."

She just gives a dark laugh. "Oh what I plan on doing to help? Well firstly, you're off patrols and are assigned to Console for the foreseeable future."

"What!"

"Yes Shadow Stalker, I'm not letting someone who pissed off Owl just roam the streets and have the chance of running into her, unless you think you'd be able to take her. Don't answer that, it was rhetorical. Second, you will also stop going to school and will be tutored at base until this is resolved."

"You can't fucking do that!"

She stands up and yells. "Yes, yes I can. Owl's friend goes to that school and you pissed her off. You must either be suicidal or a complete moron to think I would allow you to go back to that school at all." After that she sits back down and levels a glare at me. "Until you decide to tell the truth about what happened, and we can solve the issue between you and Owl, both those orders may as well be permanent. Now get out of my office."

I barely hold myself back from jumping at her, but I just turn and leave, slamming the door behind me.

How dare she do that, that stupid fat bitch.

This is all Hebert's fault. If she wasn't around Owl wouldn't be a problem.

Owl isn't an alpha, she's an apex predator. If Hebert never reared her head up, Owl would have never chosen her. She would have found me.

Yeah we're both predators, we take what we want. That spineless wimp isn't strong enough to associate with a born killer like Owl. We'd make the perfect team.

If Hebert wasn't around then Owl would see just how useless she really was, then she'd come running to me instead.

With that revelation, I now have a plan. A way to get out of this stupid punishment. If Owl teamed up with me, then the director would bend over backwards to please me.

I leave headquarters laughing quietly to myself. It's foolproof and genius.

* * *

When did they start making lampposts so soft.

I recovered from what happened a few minutes ago, but I just got comfortable and don't want to move yet. Or I'm just stalling and don't want to face having to talk to anyone.

God Owl, you might have really messed up this time.

Well you can't even defend yourself right now so I won't blame you yet.

Oh, I hope Taylor isn't to scared of us, I like her.

There is a bright side though, at least dog girl tasted nice.

* * *

 **AN/ Yay, the first interlude of the story. I've been thinking on this one for a while and thought it'd be fun to give a few different perspectives. So you all get a little back story into Owl. She ain't just a ditzy blonde, no she's a crazy serial killer ditzy blonde. My favorite. Well like all the other ANs, if you liked it leave me a review, if ya didn't also review and tell me what's what. I usually pm people that review so I'd love to have a conversation. Peace suckas**

 **-Killa**


	6. Chapter 6

There's a few minutes of stunned silence, but eventually the cries of the wounded Undersiders snaps everyone out of their daze. The Wards start to move in a flurry of action as Aegis starts to bark out orders. The couple PRT troopers that came with them start to go around and foam the still time locked dogs. The dog that Owl, beheaded? Yeah that's what she did. That dog's body slowly starts to melt leaving some fleshy cocoon behind.

People start to funnel out of the bank, and start to make their way towards the police line. Glory Girl comes out, walking close to someone. Huh, she must have gone through the back when this all kicked off. The person that comes out with Glory Girl starts to quicken her pace when she sees Tattletale laying at the bottom of the steps with only one arm. She touches Tattletale and the wound closes, oh that must be Panacea. The healer doesn't reattach Tattletale's arm or grow it back though.

That seems cold, yes she robbed a bank and took hostages, but she doesn't seem much older then me, and that's kind of a scary thought. If I wasn't a hero I'd get mercy, but I guess there's a limit.

Panacea goes to the rest of the Undersiders and wounded Wards, when she finishes with the former, PRT troopers and cops handcuff them and escort them to a van. Quick clean up I guess. The Wards try to calm the hostages and maintain order, while keeping a wide berth of Owl's hunched form.

I still haven't moved, just frozen in place watching the post battle action.

I turn and look at Owl, she's not sobbing anymore, just shaking slightly. Still leaned against a post. Well if no one else is going to, I may as well.

I start walking over to her. The Wards notice, but don't stop me, they just shoot me glances and slowly position themselves between me and everyone else while still doing their jobs.

To make sure I don't startle her, I approach from the sidewalk so she might see me first, and stop about 6 feet from her.

"Hey, Owl are you okay." I say softly, probably not the best thing to start with considering she looks like hell right now.

She doesn't respond for a minute, and just as I'm about to try asking again, she slowly lifts her head. It gives me a clear view of her face. Her entire head is covered in blood, from all around her mouth, nose, and chin when she attacked Hellhound, to all across her forehead and eyes from Tattletale shooting her. Her beanie is also ripped and stained with all the holes and blood.

"Oh, heya Ta- Skitter, did not see you there."Although she almost blew my secret identity, she just sounds so hollow and dead that I can't bring myself to care. She takes a deep breath and shudders. "Yeah, I am not doing to good right now. It is getting better, it just might take a hot minute for that to happen."

"Wha, what happened back there Owl, you went berserk. You tore those guys apart."

"We got shot, and Owl just got so angry. It brought up some bad memories and she just wanted to hurt people."

"What do you mean 'we'?"

She fully turns to look at me. "Oh, man I said that?. Hey, you think we could talk, maybe at your place or something? I guess I should probably tell you a few things, but I need a little time to recover. That and I would rather not tell you some of these things with a crowd in the background."

I think it over for a second. "My place would be okay, but what if we get followed? I don't want my identity to be found out."

"Smart thinking, you would just have to go before me. Use your powers to make sure no one follows you." She pushes off the post to stand up fully, but stumbles. I step forward and steady her. "Thanks, anyway you go first, I will take off and take a breather, then make my way over, no worries, I know to make sure to not be followed." She stretches, then goes to card her fingers through her hair, but stops when she feels her hat.

She pulls off her beanie and takes a look at it. "No!, nononono." She sounds panicked. She's gripping the beanie in her hands hard, taking sharp, quick breaths. She starts talking her through something. "Alright, it will be alright. Just a hat, not her, just a hat. Deep breaths." She slowly calms down and gently dusts the beanie off, then puts it back on.

"You're still going to wear that?"

"Yes! I mean, yeah, yeah I just bought it, I just gotta, uh, clean it? Look it is mine, I just want to get a little more time out of it." She leans over and gives my shoulder a squeeze. "Okay, I will be there in about a half hour." She waves and starts to walk off.

I shake my head and look around. A lot of the hostages have disappeared, either told they can go, or just taken somewhere else, I'm not sure. The police have secured the bank and one of the PRT vans have taken the Undersiders away, and another just left with half the Wards.

Aegis comes up to me. "Considering you're still alive, I take it Owl has recovered."

"Yeah, it looked like whatever happened to her took a lot out of her, but she seems better. She said she had to go though."

"Well that's good." I don't know if that comment is about her feeling better or her leaving. "Would you say you're a friend of Owl's?"

"She's my friend. Saved me a couple times to. Why do you asked?"

"Oh, no reason, just curious. Would you be willing to stay for some questions and to give a statement?"

"Sorry, I can't. I need to be somewhere, the bank robbery thing kinda came out of nowhere and interrupted my day. Maybe next time?"

He looks conflicted for a second, like he really wants me to stay, but he must throw the idea away and says. "Well in a perfect world, there won't be a next time, but this is the Bay so we'll probably see each other again." We both give a mirthless laugh at that. "Alright, well if you need to leave, then have a good day Skitter."

I give him a handshake and wish him good luck, and head out on my way.

I go back to the alleyway where me and Owl stashed our bags in and grab mine, hers is there still to so I take it as well. After dodging in and out of alleyways and using my powers I find a good one and change back into my normal clothes. The side of my costume is covered in blood, probably from when Owl hugged me. I shove it in my backpack with some bugs and set them to cleaning it up. Then I make the slow trek back home.

* * *

When I got back I made a few sandwiches, for me and Owl, cleaned up my stuff and got a book to read.

An hour and a half later there was a knock on my door.

I answered the door and let Owl in and we go to the living room and sit down. "What took so long?"

"I went to my apartment to change and clean up, then I got distracted."

I shake my head. "Of course you got distracted, and if you changed, why do you still have that bloody beanie on?"

She looks away and fingers the stitched on logo, which is just the number 43 in fancy script. "I just really like the hat."

I raise my hands in a surrendering motion, then I offer her some of the kinda stale sandwiches.

She takes a look at the food, then shakes her head. "Sorry Taylor, I ate earlier, I'm good for now."

I hear what she says and put the food back down on the table, then pause as I think about it. "Owl, people aren't food, you sure you don't want a sandwich."

She looks a little embarrassed. "Thanks for the offer, but I can't eat normal food. In fact that's part of the explanation I was going to give."

"What, you can only eat people or something?"

"Yeah, it's power induced, if I had a choice I'd eat normal food."

I go to laugh it off, but I notice Owl looks completely serious. "Owl I was joking! I was just being sarcastic."

"Well I am being serious, and right now it is not Owl you are talking to . In fact I have talked with you before, but I doubt you noticed." The girl that says she's not Owl turns fully towards me and sticks out her hand. "Hello Taylor, it is nice to finally meet you officially. My name is Olivia." She gives me a small smile while she waits for me to shake her hand.

I don't. I'm to stunned by what she said to return the gesture. I just sit there looking at her wide eyed. Her smile slowly fades and she lowers her hand.

"I guess that's to be expected, it is quite a claim to make."

"What are you her twin or something?

"No, no I wish it were that simple. You could think of me as Owl's demon. The one that is willing to do the dirty work to make sure we keep going. If you would allow me to tell you our story, I think it would clear some things up."

"Why should I, you're going to drop this on me after what happened today, why should I even listen to what you're going to say." For some reason I'm rather upset. From the stress of today, to see my new friend maim people. Now she says she is also someone else.

She looks away and seems distracted, then looks ashamed and turns back to me. "Owl still thinks of you as her friend, I would like to think so as well. She did not wish to tell you, but I told her a good friendship can not be built on hidden truths, so I bit the bullet and decided to tell you in her place. She does not enjoy telling the story. I have told others the story before, but they have all abandoned us when we have only started explaining. Please Taylor, let me tell the whole story to you, then judge us both after."

She looks so hopeful and vulnerable. Would I be the kind of person to throw away a friend just because of their past, it sobers me a little. I truly hope I'm not that kind of person.

"Fine, I'll listen to what you're going to say."

Olivia seems very relieved. "Okay, well to start, did you ever hear of a gang in Brockton Bay called 'The Scavers'?"

I think for a second. "No I don't think so, why?"

She shakes her head. "It is understandable, they would have been around about 16 years ago. They were a nomadic gang that was a subset of a larger cartel. They went from city to city, kidnapped young girls, and shipped them West. They shipped them to a storage facility near the US/Mexico border, sold them to the true cartel members, and held all the victims there."

"What, were you part of the gang or something, is that it?"

"No, no then I would have been 8 years old." She pauses and looks lost in thought. "Did you know, I have slowly been making my way East for the past 15 years. Making my way home. In truth, I was born in the Bay. I called this beautiful city my home once. Although it use to look much better."

The details sink in and I start to put the facts together and I'm horrified. "You were one of their victims?"

Olivia gives me a sad smile, and nods her head. "Yes, They grabbed me on the way home from school, and held me captive for around a year. The Scavers stole little girls for human trafficking and child prostitution. I earned my freedom 15 years ago, but the time I spent with them still haunts me to this day."

I don't want to ask, but. "How did you 'earn' your freedom?"

She gives a dark laugh, and a steely resolve fills her eyes. "How? I earned it the hard way. They took me, starved and beat me, took advantage of me. All in the hopes of breaking me and molding me into an obedient little slave. The only solace I had was a friend I made there, her name was 43. Mine was 75. She was rebellious, she was there for a long time, but They never broke her. When we were sent back to our holding cell, she would hold me and comfort me. 43 was the only shining beacon in such a horrible place."

She smiles warmly and a tear leaves her eye as she looks at something only she can see. "The people there found out about our bond, and 43 was getting a little older, so They separated us and increased the abuse. About two weeks later They brought me to a room and tied me down. They said they were going to show me what happens when we did not listen. They brought 43's broken and abused body into the room. She was still alive, though I do not know how thinking back. Then They started to torture her in front of me, and made me watch. If I looked away They'd beat me and force me to watch again. By the end 43 was nothing but a mangled corpse, I was not able to recognize the beautiful friend that held me and told me everything was going to be okay." More tears streamed down her face, but Olivia just sat on the couch, looking straight ahead. She hooks her thumb under the beanie logo and rubs it between her thumb and forefinger. She does that for a moment and calms a little.

"Then and only then did I trigger. Wanting nothing but to be free, to not be starving, to teach the people that hurt me and killed the only friend I had left in the world a lesson, I triggered. I got my wish. I had the power to escape. My power made it so I could only eat people from then on, because how could I be hungry in an entire complex full of people. And I lost control and killed everyone, every single living person there, kidnapper and victim alike, they all died in my rage."

Olivia shakes her head almost in an attempt to rid herself of the memories, and a few more tears streak down her face. "When I regained control I was eating someone, surrounded by dozens of corpses. Then all I wanted was to escape. Escape there and escape what I had done."

"That is when Owl was born, though she did not have a name at the time. I, might have broke a little mentally. She was my split personality, the good me. One that was never hurting. One that was still innocent, still loved life and where everything was still an adventure. She was the me that did not want to die and join 43, to be together forever. She never got kidnapped, she was just innocent and beautiful still."

Olivia fidgets for a second. "We share a body, and experience everything at the same time. One of us is in charge, and the other gets to rest, they still see and feel everything that happens, but it is thankfully muted. I just usually let her be in charge all the time, because why not let the girl that actually wants to live be in charge?" She gives a mirthless, hollow laugh. "And if I am not in control I can ignore the past easier. Besides it is pretty funny, I get such a powerful set of abilities and free myself with them, and they absolutely disgust me." She says with a sneer and a frown, looking down at her own hands."

"Hey Ow-Olivia." I take one of her hands with both of mine, and rub circles in her palm. "I'm not going to leave, it seems like a story you don't like to tell either. What kind of person would I be if I left you now. Hell, I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if I did that to you." Then I pull her into a hug. She tenses, but slowly puts her arms around me. She doesn't relax though. After a minute I let go, and give her a smile.

"I got your back Olivia, you and Owl. I can't say I could truly understand where you're coming from, but I understand enough. I'm not leaving you guys."

She looks lost for a minute, then starts to look so happy. "Thank you Taylor, it has been a while since anyone has cared. It, it feels nice."

"No problem." I feel pretty good as well, but a random thought comes to mind. "Hey, you said you talked to me before, when was that?"

She thinks for a bit. "That was earlier this week, when that idiot Sophia and her friend were saying mean things. I may have threatened her a little, I do not appreciate when people make my friends feel bad. Also just so you know, Owl always gives people nicknames. Like how she calls you 'Tay'. I on the other hand only use people's full names. We found it makes it easier to differentiate who is talking at the time if we do that."

"You don't really like being the one in charge do you?"

"Oh, I absolutely hate it. I am only in charge right now because Owl feels guilty and uneasy. Master effects disrupt us greatly for some reason, no matter the effect."

"But Gallant isn't a master."

"If that idiot isn't a master, I will eat your couch. Shooting your teammate, what a jackass. No matter what the PRT says, he is a master, they just can not stand the fact that their little league hero team might have a master on it. It happens to be bad for public relations, the idiots." She massages her temples and sighs. "Also Owl says she is sorry for her behavior earlier and apologies if she scared you."

I didn't expect an apology. "Could you tell her it's okay, I think I understand."

"Well that is nice of you Taylor, but you may as well tell her yourself. Besides I am sick of being in charge already, it is already starting to hurt to much." Olivia then slumps forward a little, but immediately perks back up. "Tay!" The pitch of their voice goes higher, and gets a really happy tone to it. "Today was crazy right, we should fight more crime together."

I'm taken aback from the 180 the tone takes. "Hey Owl, how are you doing, feeling better?"

The smile falters a little. "I feel, eh, better-ish. I like fighting, but I don't like killing, and it came very close to that today. I also hate those master effects, I really hate losing control like that." she gives a shudder. "But it's gone now, and Liv can go back to sleep and start feeling better again."

"That's good. She can still hear us though, right?" Still trying to wrap my head around the whole split personality thing.

"She can, though it depends on if she's paying attention or not. Oh, wait yeah, she's still paying attention."

"Alright, so you guys finally made it home huh. What's the plan from here?"

"Well it's not really my home, my home is anywhere with friends. Liv though, she's still taking in the sights. Actually she's really enjoying being back. As for a plan, I don't know. Maybe hang out with you, fight bad guys. I like birdwatching, so maybe more of that. Liv is fine with whatever, as long as she doesn't have to do to much."

"She really doesn't like being in control?" I say a little sadly.

"Yeah, she hates her body, like a lot. It reminds her of the past, and she doesn't like that either. I have the memories to, but I didn't experience them first hand. It's easy for me to ignore, not so much for her. She only takes charge when we need to do something distasteful. She really loves me, and knows I don't like killing. She decided that if her hands are already bloodstained, she'll shoulder the burden."

"I don't think I really want to know, but I think I have to understand. How, where do you guys get your food?"

Owl looks ashamed for a second. "That's Liv's job, the killing part. We only need to eat about once every two weeks, a big meal. Um, it's, okay so it isn't going to sound good at all, but every two weeks we transform a little so we're faster. Then we go out at night, and go hunting." Yep, definitely does not sound good. "We go around the area we're in and try to find someone committing a bad crime, Liv really likes going after would be rapists. Then we, uh, you know what, you can use your imagination. We try to go after criminals to try and make it somewhat better, or at least as good as a person eating someone else could possible get."

She said use my imagination and now I think I'm going to be sick. "What happens if you can't find a horrible person?"

"We make do, we don't like it, but we make do."

"What does that mean?" Not really liking where this is going.

"It means we need to eat before it's to late, a whole two weeks is pushing it as is. We push it off for as long as possible, but if we don't eat, we lose control. Either we make someone have a bad night voluntarily, or we go mad and make an entire town have a bad time. That's part of the whole Liv hates herself thing."

"Owl, that's horrible!"

"Of course it is Tay, but we don't have a choice, okay. We tried starving ourselves a couple times. That's how we know it's a bad idea. One time we secluded ourselves in the middle of a forest. We made it about a month and a half without eating, but we lost control of our body two weeks in. Imagine, having to sit there, trapped in your own head, just watching your body prowl around a forest looking for food with no control for 4 weeks. Sadly we stumbled upon some hunter's retreat. There was about 30 people there. We were the only person that left alive. We were 11. We learned our lesson, and Liv grew even more suicidal."

She takes a deep breath to calm down a little. " Do you know what the worst part about having such an amazing regeneration rate is? It's that no matter how much we wanna die, no matter how many lives would be saved from us kicking the bucket. We can't die. And believe me, we've tried. It's been 15 years, oh how we tried."

"Owl I'm sorry, it's just a lot to take in. I didn't mean to drag up bad memories, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, we've had time to cope, and come up with ways of making it easier. Why do you think I'm always such a scatterbrain. I gotta enjoy every moment, or the past will bury me. Besides I've been helping Liv through her problems for years. Sort of a built in therapist." She says that with a laugh. "Besides because of our problems, it's kind of the reason you and me became friends."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you caught my interest because you were out by yourself so early in the morning, and to be honest you don't live in the nicest area, so I went with you to keep an eye on you. Liv has a big 'saving kids' thing, especially girls. She blames herself for 43's death." Owl takes off her beanie and looks a little solemn and plays with the 43 logo. "And 43 was such an angel to. I wish I got to meet her. Anyway, as we were jogging and talking, I saw the look in your eyes. I recognized the look, me and Liv use to have that same look, and I couldn't just leave you alone. And I'm glad I didn't, I pulled you out of your shell a little and got the honor of seeing such a beautiful person, and an amazing friend."

"I wasn't that bad was I."

"Tay, those first couple days, I was really worried about you. I thought it was a bad home life, and you needed an out, but when I went to school with you and saw those two girls. Well, me and Liv almost lost it."

"Thanks for that by the way, it's the first time anyone has really cared at all."

"Any time. We got your back."

She said that, and I can tell she means it. And that fills me with such a light feeling, to have someone there for me, to have my back.

They may be scary, and they may be forced to be cannibals, but I don't think I could ask for better friends. Owl and Olivia, the people who want to be my best friends.

* * *

 **AN/ Rather dialogue heavy I know, but they had to get it off their chests. Owl and Olivia's backstory is one of the first things I came up with when the brain parasite that is this fanfiction wormed it's way in. I don't know what that says about me that this is one of the first things I came up with, but whatever. Also Owl ain't just a scatterbrained crazy person anymore, now she's a crazy person who acts scatterbrained.** **Anyway, if you liked it, please review. Hated it? still please review, I like seeing what you guys think.**

 **And remember, RIP in pieces 43, best girl.**

 **-Killa**


	7. Chapter 7

Lightened by new depths of friendship, me and Owl continue to chitchat.

"So is there any thing or any topics that I should avoid when talking with you guys?" I ask, which honestly seems like a good question considering the baggage they might have. If I'm truthful with myself for once, Owl and Olivia are now sort of pillars that I may be leaning fairly heavily on right now. I really don't want to lose them because of a stupid comment.

Owl bobs her head back and forth and thinks. "Well for me it's pretty simple, just don't be needlessly cruel. Like if someone pissed you off, do what you need to do, but if they stop fighting, also stop fighting. Of course there are exceptions, some people just need to be hurt. I don't like killing, but a good fight is always nice, just something to get the blood pumping. Past those I don't like mean jokes just for the sake of being mean, and people not knowing what 'no' means." She leans back. "Otherwise I'm pretty easy going."

"Okay, that's straight forward. What about Olivia?"

"Eh, she's more or less the same as me, just a touch more lethal. She thinks that if you remove the problem, it'll never bother you again. I'm more forgive and forget, well, I don't forget the slights against us, I'm just more forgiving. She also really doesn't like physical contact. Like at all."

"I'm kinda the same with the touching thing, but mine is more from bullying. I take it her's is from you guys past."

Owl nods. "Yeah, I've been comforting her for years and have been trying to bring her out of her shell, but some things just can't be forgotten. She does like feeling contact through me though, something about me being in control lets her enjoy it." She then gets a mischievous smirk. " I don't think she'd ever be intimate with someone, but I know she likes feeling when I am." She then throws her head back and laughs. "No matter what she's yelling in my head right now, I know the truth."

I blush a little at that, but I can't help but giggle a little.

Owl eventually stops tittering about busting Olivia's chops. "So anything we should know about you Tay?"

"Oh, most of what you guys said. My big thing would be people using others, or treating someone badly just because they can. I'm absolutely against it." I look around for a second, being distracted by memories of the past two years at Winslow. I center myself and come back though. "I really want to be a hero. I, I want to help people. Finding out who Sophia really is kinda shook my faith in the PRT pretty badly, in the system as a whole in fact. But I will help people. Even if revenge would be easy with a power like mine, I'm gonna try to be the bigger person." I finish with a smile, a real smile that I truly feel.

Owl puts her arm around my shoulder and gives me a side hug, with a big cheery grin.

* * *

After a while of talking that purposely avoids anymore deep topics, we get back on the topic of our hypothetical cape team.

"So the PRT knows what you look like right, and also tries to avoid you?"

Owl leans back and stretches on the couch. "Yeah, I've been bugging them for the past decade and a half. I haven't really been stealthy about it either. They shouldn't know about Liv, but they probably have pictures of me and a lot of recorded conversations."

"You talked to them that much?"

She gives a little wave of her hand. "Of course, I got a buddy on the inside, though I haven't talk to her in years. So why did you want to know that, what ingenious plot have you come up with?" She gives me a smile.

"Well since we're getting you a costume, I was thinking that we could also get you a cape name so the PRT wouldn't know it was you. At least that way they wouldn't bug us to much."

"I like it, one problem though. The moment I use my powers they would know it was me."

"Oh damn, hadn't thought about that."

Owl looks away and seems to be thinking for a second. "Actually that might work. Have you heard about the 'Unwritten Rules' for capes?"

I think for a bit, then shake my head.

"Oh poor innocent, little Tay."

"I'm taller than you."

"Oh poor innocent, big, little Tay. I'm gonna have to learn you some new things."

I cross my arms and give her a look. "You're gonna learn me some things. I don't think you're using that word right."

"Shush. Anyway, the rules basically boil down to, don't find out a cape's identity, don't attack them when they're not in costume, and don't attack their family. The heroes and villains both follow the rules. On the outside it's a nice gentleman's agreement, but the PRT, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to also follow the rules. It means that their heroes stay safe, but it also means that for the most part the villains get to go free."

She gives a slow shake of her head. "My dislike of the PRT aside, we may be able to use the rules to our advantage. Although I'm a known individual, my possible cape identity wouldn't be. Even if they connect me to the cape persona, due to the rules I would essentially be two different people. And if they confront me, I just say that I'm not Owl. Really it's just an open secret, but one they really can't do anything about."

"Well that seems silly, but if it works, it works. Now we just need a cape name for you to use."

Owl perks up and seems to really be invested in the idea. "How about, The Obliterator?"

"That might be to violent."

"Come on, that's what I do when I punch things, I obliterate them. Sometimes I punch hard enough to obliterate my own hands, now that's skill." She smirks, nods her head and gives me a look like I should be impressed.

I'm not. "Next."

She grumbles something, then comes up with the next one. "Ooh how about Mistress?"

"That's it, just Mistress?" She nods. "No. Why did you even throw that one out?"

"Well I figured if I can't instill a sense of fear, then maybe I could just turn them on instead. They hear that I'm coming and they get ready for the beating of their lives. I'll bring a whip, and teach them the error of their ways. They'll say 'Please Mistress, mercy' and I'll just say 'No, maybe later, mmmh'. Just a little bit of kinky, you know."

My face feels like it's on fire, it must look as red as a tomato. "No Owl, to much kink."

"Is there such a thing as to much kink?"

"Yes! Definitely yes."

"Pffft, teens. Fine I'll come up with something else, give me a few minutes." I get up and go get something to drink from the kitchen to give her time to think. When I get back it looks like she's ready to share her new idea. "Okay, so you didn't like my ideas, Liv decided to join in though and we brainstormed. How about Gorha?"

"Does it mean anything, or did you guys just make a word? Did you just choose it because it has the word 'gore' in it?"

"No, although that is a good reason to use it. And as far as we know it doesn't mean anything. We just like the way it sounds really. Skitter and Gorha, doesn't sound to bad, does it?"

"No I kinda like. Alright, if you guys like it to, then Gorha it is." Owl gives a cheer and a little dance.

"Now that that's settled, I just gotta put together my new costume."

We get up and rifle through her bag and pull out all the clothes and apparel we got today and start to put together some form of a costume.

"You said you wanted simple right?" I question her.

"Yeah, I fight pretty recklessly so I might end up going through a few of them. I really don't want to spend days putting together a new one just for one night of fun. Besides, once we put together something good here I'll have a blueprint, then I can just go out and buy more clothes to keep stocked up."

With that we start to go off the plans we made earlier, and I shoot down her domino mask and bikini idea again.

After about a half an hour we have her new costume. Honestly I'm pretty jealous about how quick her's come together compared to mine.

Owl's new look is styled in a black and red color scheme. She's wearing a red tank top with a black leather half jacket over top. Across her face was tied a red bandanna with black etchings. She had an adhesive dollar store domino mask to cover the upper half of her face. Her hair was drawn back in a ponytail and secured with a flat brim black snapback hat. On her lower half she wore black ripped skinny jeans and black sneakers.

Owl then grabbed a marker and wrote Gorha vertically down the left side of her tank top.

She kinda looked like a gang member, but an actually cool looking one and not the assholes we have in the Bay.

"So what do you think Tay?"

"I like it, but why didn't you go with black and red?"

She looks down at herself. "Oh, well the black covers any dirt or stain. Image is important. The red is because the way I fight, there's usually a bit of blood. Mainly mine honestly. The color just helps hide it."

"Why do you take so may risks fighting?"

"Well I'm not a blaster, to stop people I literally have to stop them with my hands. I could just throw things, but that's incredibly dangerous. I have super strength, I can't predict where they'll be though. One good shot to the head and that might be another dead body. Also I don't really take risks. Risk implies that I might actually get hurt, which I can't really be. Well, I can be, but I heal to quick for it to matter much." She just shrugs.

We continue to talk about her costume and what teaming up might be like for a while. Just as I'm about to ask another question though, I hear a noise. I turn and see that the living room windows are rattling a little. Then I hear what sounds like muted thunderclaps. Multiple of them.

The moment the first one happens, Owl tenses and her head snaps towards the noise.

After a second I ask. "What, what was that?"

Owl doesn't turn to me when she responds. "Explosions, big ones." Her voice is hard, it's still a little higher pitched so Owl is still in control, but she sounds as hollow as Olivia.

I look at her in shock, then run to the window and peer through. In different places all over the city, pillars of smoke start to rise. I can make out the sounds of sirens nearby going deeper into the city.

"What channel is the news on?" Owl asks. I turn and see she's sitting down with the remote in her hand.

"5, it's channel 5." I turn back to the window and watch all the smoke rise higher.

There's a click as the tv is turned on. "Emergency News, multiple explosions have occurred all across the city. The police are stressing that all citizens stay indoors and away from public places. Emergency services and the local Protectorate forces are responding to what is assumed to be a terror attack by unknown perpetrators. The current motives behind this attack are unknown so once again we stress, stay home. Do not go out and stay away from public places."

I come and sit on the couch and watch the broadcast with Owl. I'm absolutely shell shocked. Bad things happen in the Bay, but this is something else. We follow along for a half an hour, then they start getting footage of the blasts from reporters.

The footage their showing is brutal. Some of the explosions aren't even just blasts. One of the bombs must have mutated everyone caught in the blast. People with grotesque growths and deformities being ushered into sealed vehicles. One of the blasts turned a park into glass. Parents and their children forever captured in moments of shock on a chilly playground.

I hear a creaking noise and look to Owl. There's tears flowing down her face. Her hands are intertwined in each other, and she's squeezing so hard that she has broken both her hands, with blood dripping down onto the carpet. She doesn't seem to have noticed, her eyes still being glued to the tv.

After twenty or so minutes, the broadcaster is handed a paper. "It seems we have a new development. The terror attack is being claimed by an individual named Bakuda, who says they're associated with the local gang, the Azn Bad Boys. They are demanding that the PRT release the villain named Lung, the leader of the Azn Bad Boys, or the bombings will continue."

Owl stands up cutting off whatever the broadcaster was saying next. She fixes her jacket and wipes her eyes, then walks towards the door.

"Owl, where are you going."

She looks at me and her eyes have turned red again. Her gaze is cold and dangerous, there isn't a hint of kindness in them, just a look that promises pain. "Hunting a bastard down."

She starts to reach for the doorknob. Just as I'm about to call out to her, the phone rings. Owl lowers her hand.

I look from her, then the phone, and then her again. Almost as if I'm afraid she'll leave while I'm on the phone. It rings a couple more times before a get the nerve to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Taylor?" I could hear yelling in the background.

"Y-yes. Who is this?"

"It's Simon, I work in the office with your father. You were listed as an emergency contact, so I felt that I should let you know what happened."

I take a sharp breath. "What's wrong, is my dad okay!?" Dozens of horrible things go through my head.

"A bomb went off down here at the docks. Danny didn't get caught in the blast, but he was helping us pull some people out of the rubble. Some of it shifted and he got hit by a beam. When the paramedics came they took Danny and the others we fished out to the hospital."

"Ah, i-is he okay, is dad alright?"

"He got knockout by the beam, past that I don't know how good he is." Simon must turn away from the phone, and starts to yell things at people. "Okay Taylor, he should be at Brockton General in a few minutes, baring any bad traffic. I have to go. People still need help here, good luck." Then I hear a click.

"Wait, wait! That's it, good luck?" I give a frustrated yell and slam the phone down. It's all I get. My dad got hurt and all I get is good luck.

Owl walks over and goes to put her hand on my shoulder, then tenses before she touches me and just puts her hand down. She pulls her bandanna down. "Taylor what was that call about, is Danny hurt?" Even Olivia is interested now. That also explains the lack of contact.

"Someone that works with my dad called and said he got hurt. I guess a beam fell on him, he was helping people after one of the bombs went off in the docks." I start heading towards the basement. That bomber will attack anyone it seems. The Dock Workers haven't been useful in years. Hurting them means nothing, it just cause pain. After a minute I come back up with my bag. "They said he's on the way to the hospital right now. Because of that asshole Bakuda, he got hurt." There's barely restrained anger in my voice.

Olivia must have calmed a little because her eyes have gone back to blue. "So are you going to the hospital then, if that is what is happening, then I will go with you." She says to reassure me, and it does. Makes me feel good knowing she'll follow through with having my back.

But no, no that's not the plan now. "No, you said it yourself."

I put the bag down and unzip it and reach in. "We're going hunting." Then I pull out my mask. If this Bakuda person wants pain, I'll give them pain.

Olivia looks shocked for a second, then the shock morphs into a vicious smile that goes from ear to ear and shows to many pointy teeth. Her eyes are almost glowing a gleeful red. She pulls her bandanna up, but I can still see the smile through the fabric.

I put on my costume, and we make for the door. We head out to start our hunting trip.

* * *

 **AN: Little shorter than the last couple chapters, but it's a start into the Bakuda arc. I wonder how fast our new huntresses can find Bakuda and get there pound of flesh. Of course others will be out for blood to, so that might be fun. Another talky chapter but this one is set up for some possible fun next chapter.**

 **And yeah, another Worm fic where Danny gets hurt when Bakuda shows up. Well I needed a reason to not write Danny, nothing against him, I just find him a hard one to write. I tried a few times and thought up multiple** **scenarios for interaction with him, but none pan out well. Maybe it's because I'm not a parent, who is depressed and despondent and slowly drifting away from his daughter. I just can't get in the head space. Fuck it, whatever. It'll probably work out, maybe.**

 **Writing more things for Owl/Olivia makes me happy and sad. She is the character I came up with, but I've given her such a hard past. I have come up with a lot for her past, but she is still constantly evolving while I write. I'm happy to see her grow, but some of the things my brains spits out fit for her character just makes her sadder in the long run.**

 **Otherwise everything is going as planned and I'm still having fun writing, so good times I guess.**

 **Anyway like all the other times, review are always welcome. Shower me in those thoughts.**

 **-Killa**


	8. Chapter 8

With everyone hiding in their homes, and despite the fact that parts of it are currently on fire, the city may be the calmest I've ever seen it. It's evening and the sun is just starting to go down for the night. The setting sun is bathing the neighborhood in colors.

Those colors then being silenced by the shadow of my amassed swarm as me and Olivia search through ABB territory. I send the biblical plague of insects through every building in my range looking for anything that would point towards Bakuda, or any other punks trying to take advantage of the situation. We haven't found any ABB yet, but we have stop a couple looters breaking into an electronics store.

Olivia, dressed in her Gorha costume, switches between following me on the sidewalk and jumping up on roofs to get a better look. While I look with bugs, she tries to smell the air to pick up any trails. We're not certain if Bakuda is a cape or not, but we need any leads we can get.

I stop Gorha when I sense a group of people enter my range. There are 8 normal guys with pistols, a man in a tiger mask with baggy pants covered in chains, a literally white guy, and some girl on a rock. Great, the Empire is hunting the ABB to, and they have Stormtiger, Alabaster, and Rune as cape support.

"We need somewhere to hide quick to plan."

Gorha nods, and picks me up and jumps up on a nearby roof. "What did you notice?"

"The Empire is coming this way with three capes and some mooks with pistols. Just great, because I wanted to fight Nazis tonight." I sigh and try to come up with a plan.

"I have heard the word thrown around, what exactly are Nazis? I feel that I am missing something big." Gorha asks me.

I'm just a touch stunned. "How do you not know what Nazis are?"

She just gives me a flat look. "I was kidnapped at 8 and have been on my own ever since, there are huge gaps in my knowledge base. What are Nazis, and how hard am I allowed to punch them?"

Well now I'm a little embarrassed. "Sorry." I sheepishly say, she just waves me off. "Anyway, they're like a bunch of people who hate other people that aren't white. They also don't like Jewish people, and if you aren't white or are Jewish they think that you aren't human or something. The Empire is pretty violent about it to."

"That may be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. I get hating something, but for such a petty reason? It seems like a waste of time."

"Yeah, you're right, it's pretty stupid. Funny thing is, you are the ideal person to them though." She gives me a look. "With you being white, and having blonde hair and blue eyes, you are what they consider to be the perfect human form." She shakes her head and gives a laugh. "Honestly I think they just use it as an excuse to beat people up and take things. Okay, so the capes they have down there are Stormtiger, with the tiger mask who can control air. Rune is the girl on the floating rock, she touches things and makes them fly. Alabaster is all white and regenerates or something very fast, from a lot of the online speculation he's suppose to be unkillable."

"So I get to play with him then, alright give me a minute to get their attention then hit the rest of them with bugs while I take Alabaster."

"Cool, sounds like a plan." I give her a nod and she jumps off the roof and walks to the intersection to meet them.

As they round the corner, they saw Gorha leaning against a newspaper dispenser. They look taken aback, guess they weren't expecting someone to be waiting for them.

Stormtiger steps up. "What do you want girl?" He said that with a little disdain.

Gorha points to herself. "Oh me? Well I came here looking for some fun. I feel like you guys could be fun for a while."

Alabaster laughs and looks her up and down. "Is that all you want, well cutie I can give you lots of fun."

Rune shoots him what I guess is a look of disgust from behind and Stormtiger cuts in. "Relax Alabaster, we don't know who this is, or what they're here for."

Gorha puts a hand on her hip and starts to sashay towards Alabaster. "I just want to have a little fun, and since I heard whitey here is basically unkillable I figure I should start with him." When she gets to him she puts a hand on his shoulder.

Then she hammers her other fist into Alabaster's gut. It seems to sink in further then it should, and when she pulls her fist back it's covered in blood. While he's doubled over from the hit she grabs his head, then shoves her hand in his open mouth, grabs his jaw, and with a hard yank rips his lower jaw from his head.

A couple seconds later Alabaster's jaw is back and he's looking smug.

Gorha just tosses the jaw over her shoulder. "Ooh you are going to be fun."

He goes into a stance and throws a hard right hook towards Gorha's face and she lets it connect, and it doesn't seem to do anything.

She then lunges forward and sinks her fingers into Alabaster's throat with one hand, and the other grabs him by the balls. She then lifts him up, and throws him into the wall of a store. He hits with enough force to leave large cracks in the wall and he flops to the ground.

While Gorha looks at Alabaster, a blade of air cuts deeply into her side from behind. She turns around and sees that Stormtiger is gathering more air blades.

"Damn it, she's a cape. Shoot her you idiots." The few of the goons point their guns at her and start shooting.

The bullets don't seem to slow her much though, and Gorha reaches up and rips a stop sign off its post. She whips it at Stormtiger. The sign moves to the side with a burst of air, but not far enough and Stormtiger still has to dodge to the side. It skims his right arm, leaving a deep gash. The sign continues on and embeds itself half way into the chest of one of the goons behind Stormtiger.

I figure I should probably help now so I call down my swarm to take some heat off Gorha. I sent my bugs at the goons faces, at the same time I send stinging insects at Stormtiger and Rune. I tag Stormtiger with a few of them, but he starts to blast them away with his power. Rune on the other hand is just flailing and trying to fly her rock around to escape the bugs.

Blinded by my swarm Rune starts floating away, but accidentally clips a street light with her rock. The jolt, and bugs crawling over her face, must have off set her balance because she falls off her rock. Her back slaps loudly against the street, half on the curb, half off, and her head thumps against the sidewalk. She's groaning, but not moving to get up, in fact she seems pretty dazed. She just turns over and watches the fight.

While I was dealing with the others, Alabaster got up and tackled Gorha to the ground and was trying to beat her. Trying, but not succeeding. He was on top of her throwing punches. Gorha must of gotten tired of it quickly though because she got one of her feet under him, and with a quick motion, she sends him flying back into a wall with a kick.

She flips herself up and jumps at Alabaster. She punches and kicks him with enough force to visibly deform him with each strike. Bones piece skin, mushed bit of viscera fly, joints bend in every direction but the correct ones, and the ground around them is flooded with blood. Every few seconds he reverts back to normal, all the damage done is fixed. It seems to just push Gorha harder. After a while of this happening she pulls her bandanna down, showing the biggest grin, and after every 3 or 4 hits she now starts to take bites out of Alabaster.

Through the moments of his face not being pulped by Gorha, he seems to have a look of fear in his eyes.

The goons by now have been run off by the bugs, except the one with a stop sign in his chest. Stormtiger starts to leave to, he gives a glance towards Alabaster but shakes his head when Gorha takes another bite of him. He turns towards Rune and starts going towards her, but I suddenly fill his face full of bugs. He gives up on helping her rather quickly and with a boost from his air power, runs off. The entire time he's in my range I continue to hound him with stinging insects, until I feel him get to far away.

Rune didn't even notice Stormtiger abandon her, her eyes fully fixed on watching a cape massacre another cape. Alabaster keeps attempting to put space between himself and Gorha, but Gorha isn't have any of it.

He tries to turn quickly and run, but Gorha's foot shoots out and hits his pelvis, shattering it on impact and he falls to the ground on his stomach. He heals and goes to get up, Gorha objects by stomping on his thigh and popping it like a fat sausage, sending meaty bits splattering everywhere.

He flips over, kicks with his new leg, and tries to throw off her balance. She counters by sending a hard punch to the top of Alabaster's skull. The bone breaking punch cracks through the air loudly and the top of Alabaster's head gets crunched in, destroying his spine and smooshing his head down into his shoulders. He twitches and falls backwards. Gorha pulls back and readies another punch.

She waits.

And waits.

But Alabaster isn't getting up.

Gorha slowly puts her hands down and eases out of her fighting stance and watches Alabaster. He still hasn't healed.

She waits another 20 seconds, but he still hasn't moved, hasn't healed. There's just an ever growing pool of blood around his head.

She starts to prod him with her foot, but there's no response.

I just hear her softly soft say. "Fuck"

I make my way down the fire escape of the building I'm on. As I walk out of the alley, the smell hits me full on. The coppery smell of blood. Lots of it. Then I see with my own eyes the destruction and gore of our fight. The blood, chunks, and bone shards.

It's to much for me, I scramble to pull up my mask and vomit at the edge of the alleyway.

I go to stand, but the smell of blood hits me again and I empty my stomach again.

After a minute I'm able to gather myself, fix my mask, and try to make my way over to Gorha without looking at the gore.

She is still standing over what I'm now pretty sure is Alabaster's corpse.

"Sorry Skitter, I must have gotten carried away, I truly did not mean to kill him." I look at her, and she's not smiling anymore.

"No it's my fault, I said he, ugh." I stop when I look down and see his head, shudder, and look back up quickly. "I said he was unkillable, I didn't know that if he got hit in the head he'd die." I look at Gorha and see her face is covered in blood. "Hey you, eh you got some blood on your face."

She goes to wipe her face with her hand, but her hand is also covered in blood. She's covered in blood. She just pulls up her bandanna to cover her face.

She then turns around and looks across the street. "What are we going to do with her?" And she points.

I look at what she's pointing at and see Rune still laying there. Now she's on her back and just staring up at the sky.

We slowly make our way over, I hang back a bit just in case. When we're closer I see that under her wizard hood, under her mask, her eyes are red and tears are tracing slowly down the side of her face. She sees us approach and there's fear in her eyes now as well, no, not fear, mortal terror.

"Please, please don't kill me. I'm sorry, please don't kill me. I don't want to die." She's sobbing now, seems Gorha's fight shook the girl pretty bad.

Gorha turns to me, she looks me in the eyes. Then she looks down and away. Almost in shame.

I turn back to Rune. "We're not going to kill you, just leave."

She sniffs, and wipes a hand against her eyes. "I-I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" I accidentally say that with more hostility than I wanted to and Rune shrinks back a little.

More tears leak out. "I can't feel m-my legs, and I can't focus enough to lift my boulder."

Great, we not only killed the Empire's unkillable cape, but also crippled another of theirs, and possibly gave her a concussion.

We're not even going after the Empire!

I'm blaming this on Bakuda as well.

While I was worrying about the situation we're in, Gorha knelt down next to Rune. "I'm not gonna hurt now, I just wanna talk about some stuff." The voice is lighter, Owl's back, and it sounds like she feels bad about the situation. She puts her hand under Rune's hood and slowly cards her fingers through Rune's hair.

She then sits and puts her arms under Rune's own and pulls her up, so that Rune's back is against Gorha's chest. Then Gorha wraps her arms around Rune and puts her chin on Rune's head.

"I am sorry you got hurt, but here's the rub kid. I can't let you go back to being a bad girl and hurting people because of such a silly reason. So I'm going to give you a few choices, is that okay?"

Rune seems to not be taking being in Gorha's arms to well, maybe it's the fact the she punches like a truck and just brutalized Alabaster for fun, maybe it's that she is still covered in blood, who knows but Rune is shaking like a leaf.

She tries to sound strong, but the audible fear in her voice ruins it. "S-sure, what are the choices."

Gorha hums for a second. "Okay before I get to that, I want you to know I'm not going to hurt you, now. How we interact after depends on your answer. Now what's your name?"

"Rune."

"No silly." She massages Rune's side a little. "What's _your_ name?"

Rune freezes up. "I-I-I can't tell you that, that'd break the rules!"

Gorha replies in a soft voice. "Look where you are right now, Skitty and me might be the only ones here at can help you, and I want to help you, okay? But you have to tell us your name for us to be able to help." She reaches up and pulls back Rune's hood, leaving her mask in place. "I love your hair by the way." Then nuzzles Rune's head.

Rune looks a little panicky, but after a minute she stills a little. "You're going to help me?" She is still fearful but there's a little hope that bleeds through your voice.

Gorha smiles, not that Rune can see it. "Of course, I like helping people."

She takes another minute. "Fine, my name's Cassandra."

"Okay Cassy, so here's the three choices. You could stop being a not good person, and become a hero, or at least an independent who helps people, hell join us, that'd be fun. " Gorha shoots me a smile. "Or you could join the Wards, no matter how useless the PRT is and how ineffective the Protectorate is, the Wards do help."

"You think the PRT is useless and you still want me to join them?"

I cut in. "Please don't get her started on the PRT, I've heard her complain to much about them." Never says why she dislikes them but still complains away.

"Alright I won't ask. I don't think I could take any of those choices though, what's the last one?"

"Oh, this one is the easiest. You just go back to the Empire and continue being scum." Really Gorha, that's the last one, please tell me there is some drawback to that. Hell I'd take Rune being on our team as long as there's one less Nazi on the streets.

Gorha leans in and sniffs loudly. Rune pulls away and shoots her a look.

"So I can smell capes, cool right. And now I have your scent, and I don't forget a scent. If you take the last option, I'll let you go, I'd bring you to the hospital and help you out. But after that, if I ever saw you again, and I'd know it was you Cassy with the nice blonde hair, I would be forced to hurt you. Badly. Like making what I did to whitey over there look tame bad."

Rune had started to calm down, but now she's pale and looks scared again.

"If you took choice three, that would mean we would be enemies. It would be like you betrayed me, and although I know it's a fault of mine, I don't take betrayal very well. My enemies don't live very long lives, and you're a cutie. I would hate to have to hurt you , but you would force my hand. I would prefer that you chose one of the other choices. Please, for me?" Gorha tightens her embrace slightly.

Rune looks down and seems to finally realize the position she's in. She looks at the arms embracing her, the arms that are strong enough to rip limbs off, the blood soaked arms currently holding her.

That seems to pierce the fog of her concussion.

"A-alri-ight, I'll join the Wards, I'll join them!"

"Okay, they're usually pretty nice people, and it's a good learning experience. Hey, do you have a phone?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Oh well I need to call the PRT to pick you up, unless you want these big, sexy arms to carry you all the way to their headquarters." She gives Rune a wink.

"Here's the phone." Rune hands over the phone rather quickly, and I laugh. Gorha shoots me a look.

"Party poopers." She then phones in what happened. We spend the next 20 minutes in silence as Gorha continues to cuddle Rune.

* * *

Eventually we see a PRT van pull up, and out pops four troopers, and Assault.

"Little overkill for a crippled girl and a couple dead guys isn't it." Gorha pitches in.

Assault laughs a little. "Yeah it probably is, but with the bombings, headquarters is a little trigger happy. Besides this place looks like someone went for a little bit of overkill themselves." He looks at the mess on the street and the blood covering Gorha.

"He wouldn't stay down, and I was having fun."

Assault just shrugs. "Anyway we're here now so if you could stop restraining Rune, we'll take her off your hands." A couple of the troopers wheel out a stretcher, while the other two inspect the scene.

"Restrain? No, no she's just really soft and warm." Gorha then snuggles Rune again, while Rune just kinda huffs.

"Oh, well sorry for taking her away then, but I still gotta do my job."

"Oh, alright fine." She then releases Rune and bridal carries her over to the stretcher and gently places her down. As the troopers are securing Rune, Gorha pats her shoulder and says goodbye. Rune just looks away.

Just as they're putting her in the van, she looks back over and gives Gorha a little wave.

Gorha looks stunned for a second, then gives a fist pump. "Yes. Made a new friend." She looks at me and her eyes are glowing with happiness.

"Nice new friends are always fun, sadly now I have to run you through some questions if you're willing." Assault interjects with a smile

After a few minutes of answering questions about what happened and a talking to about excessive force, he asks about Gorha. We introduce her and say she's a brute, that she's my new teammate, and leave it at that to try and keep Gorha's secret identity intact.

He comes to his last question. "Okay and this one isn't official, but since Skitter is here I have to ask, are you Owl?"

Gorha presses her hand against the spot where her mouth would be if it weren't covered by a bandanna and gives a dramatic gasp. "An Owl, why heavens no, I'm no bird." She looks down. "Well I mean I 'am' a bird but still." She winks at Assault and palms her... her boob! Owl what the fuck!

Assault gives an awkward laugh and looks away. "Yeah I guess you are a bird. Well if that's everything you can think of, I should be heading back with Rune."

"Aww, you don't wanna spend a little more time with me." She gives him a pouty look. "We could have a real fun time."

He looks even more awkward now "Sorry, can't take you up on that, I'm a taken man."

"Well you know what they say, 'two's company, three's a great time'." And I'm blushing again, at least I have the mask on.

And Assault looks like he's really considering her proposal, seriously.

"Although it's probably a no, I'll get back to you on that." He starts walking away and I just make out him talking to himself. "Oh when I tell her about this, Puppy with be so upset." And he starts to giggle.

When they all leave, I slap Gorha in the arm. "You're trying to get someone to cheat on their partner?"

"No, probably not. If both of them agree and they are there, then no ones cheating. They both just get to enjoy me." She then gives me a little shove and a smile.

"What about your new secret identity then?"

"Oh, well if I show them mine, they'll show me their's, or we just keep the masks on, add a kinky factor to it." She then gives me a wink.

"And what about Rune, do you have a thing for her to?" Now I'm just joking with her.

"Her! No, she around your age so it would be kinda weird I think, no she's just really soft. Very cuddle-able. I'm jealous of whoever she hooks up with in the future."

"You're insane." I say with a laugh.

"Yeah I am, now come on let's continue the hunt." She points in a random direction and starts to march off. I just follow and we continue the hunt for Bakuda.

Hopefully with no more distractions.

* * *

 **AN: Cool another chapter down. This one didn't have any mad bomber in it, but there was a fight scene so I guess it evens out.**

 **So I did some research and found out through some Word of God (Wildbow) that a hard enough hit to the head or heart would kill Alabaster. Neat. Once again Owl cements her place as the city's best regenerator.**

 **Rune crippled? Well a fall from her normal cruising altitude of 20 feet or so then landing back first on a curb makes me think crippled. Besides Panacea exists so** **whatever. And if she doesn't go to the PRT and just goes back to the Empire then Othala exists.**

 **So anyway, if you liked it please review, if not still review. I read them, I respond to them in PMs and enjoy the interaction.**

 **Side note but still on reviews, I got my first (as far as I know) wholly negative review, yay. I mean that honestly. Even if it's worded poorly I appreciate the criticism. I would also agree that chapter 1 is ass but whatever.**

 **-Killa**


	9. Chapter 9 Mini 1 Poor Jason

**AN: So this is a little glimpse into the past, a little bonus chapter. I got a few of these planned, but they will be just uploaded whenever I finish one. The bi-weekly chapters will still come out, these won't take the place of those. Of course with how slow I type things, these will be a little rare.**

 **These will also be a little darker than normal chapters since it deals with Olivia/Owl's past, so just to warm you.**

* * *

It hurts.

Why does it still hurt.

'If you let me take over, it'll hurt less.'

"Shut up!"

All the strangers on the street turn and look at me in shock, to stare at the crazy little girl.

'You're not crazy.'

 _Says the voice in my head._ I think at the voice with bitterness. I start walking away from the strangers, the strangers that don't care.

'When are you going to stop ignoring me, it's been months. I'm just trying to help you, I wanna help us.'

No one can help me. Not anymore, and no one really cares either. The only person who did care is now d- they're de-... they're not here anymore. Anyone that says they want to help is just lying anyway.

Who'd want to help a monster.

Oh I miss 43 so much, so much that it's like a deep stabbing pain.

No! No tears, you're a big girl now. I'll make it. I'll make it for 43.

Then my stomach growls.

Oh no, not again.

'We need to find some... food, it's been almost two weeks.'

I growl, I've been doing that more and more lately. "I know. I know what it means." I whisper with some anger.

'Do you want me to do it for you again? I can if you don't want to.'

"Stop talking!" She thinks I can't do it, thinks I'm weak. I'll never be weak again, I'll be so strong. Strong just like 43.

The voice doesn't respond to that, doesn't try to give more fake caring. I don't like it, but I'll do whatever it takes.

* * *

God I hate that the quickest way back home from work is through this narrow side street. It's so dark and nasty. But it's this or going almost a half hour out of my way.

I need a new apartment.

While I'm complaining to myself once again, I'm interrupted by a sound. It sounds like, like crying?

I follow it deeper and see a line of trash cans. I know I probably shouldn't, but I start checking for where that crying is coming from. After checking a few, I see a little form curled up behind one.

It looks like a little girl, covered in dirt, and wearing ragged clothes. Is she homeless?

I think for a second, then decide I should probably do something. "Hey, are you okay?"

She looks startled for a second, then turns to me with the biggest blue, hope filled eyes I've ever seen. "Oh mister, I'm so hungry. Could you help me?"

Oh poor thing, I hope she wasn't abandoned. "Yeah I'll help, do you now where your parents are at all?"

I swear her face darkens for a second with hate, but that must have been a trick of the light right?

"I'm not sure, I must have lost them. You said you would help me with food, please I'm so hungry."

"Of course, of course. We'll get some food." I try to speak calmly. I don't want to scare her.

"Thank you mister." She then grabs the hem of her slightly to big shirt and pulls it up and over her head and throws it to the side and exposes her bare chest.

"Whoa wait, what are you doing?" My voice is filled with worry.

"Oh, well you said you'd help me with food, and I don't want to get my shirt dirty while I eat." She gives me a smile. A dark smile.

I'm suddenly very uncomfortable, but before I can tell her to stop, something bursts from her back. Something large and pointy, and her eyes are glowing red! Is she one of those parahumans?!

Just as I'm about to yell in panic, the thing whips out in the blink of an eye.

Everything hurts, and when I try to gasp from the pain, I can't. I can't breathe.

Oh it hurts so bad. I touch my neck to see what's wrong, but it just hurts more when I touch it. And it feels wet and wrong. I pull my hand back and see it's covered in red.

Blood? My blood?

I stumble back, suddenly I'm so dizzy. The girl just walks up to me with her cruel smile, and evil eyes, and pushes me over.

God it hurts. It hurts.

The demon walks up to me and grabs my arm, and with more strength than she should have, she rips off my shirt sleeve.

She then sinks her teeth into my arm. She's eating me!

I try to scream through the pain but all that comes out is wet gurgles as I flail madly. It doesn't distract her though, as she keeps eating me.

Please I don't want to die. Anyone save me please. Oh please, please no. Mom I'm sorry I left, just please wake me up. Wake me up from this nightmare. Please. Mom let this be a nightmare, I don't want to die.

It's starting to get darker, harder to think, but the pain is still hot and burning. Ever bite she takes is agony, pure agony.

Why? I don't wanna die, why like this. It's not fair. It's just not, not fai... why?

* * *

 **AN: Short, but it's just suppose to be little glimpses into the past. Olivia's fun formative years. She is very much an incredibly broken person, with a big chip on her shoulder. She's given up on others, the only one she respect for now is 43. Not even Owl has her name yet, she's just an unwanted nuisance, a painful reminder.**

 **This will be the general tone for these mini chapters. Some will be better, some will be worse, but it generally won't be fun for Olivia.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, but not to much. That would be weird.**

 **Reviews plz**

 **Killa**


	10. Chapter 10

The sun has long since set as Gorha and I try to track down Bakuda. Thankfully our tracking methods don't rely on light. Gorha, with Owl in charge at the moment, decided that I was moving to slow, so she has been carrying me on her back while she jumps from rooftop to rooftop. All I have managed to find so far are people cowering in their homes. I found some possible ABB members in their homes, some even had guns out, but even they were seemingly just with their families. Even with how large my range is with my bugs, and with Gorha moving faster than I could on foot, we still haven't covered a quarter of what's considered ABB turf yet.

Although because we're going by rooftop now, I get to see something interesting with my own eyes. I see what is probably Velocity zip by a few times. I'm not sure it's him because of how fast he's moving, but I don't know anyone else that moves that fast so I'm making an educated guess. And you know what, it's nice to see that the Protectorate are out trying to catch the bad guys. Turns out it only takes half the city blowing up for them to do their jobs, good on them.

Maybe I'm listening to Owl complain to much about the government. Nah, I got my own beef with them, though Owl's complaints are probably throwing gas on that fire to be honest. Oh well.

Just as I'm about to go down the mental rabbit hole of errant thoughts, I sense someone on a building a couple streets over. I move some other bugs over to get a good look at who they are. By their body shape they seem to be male, and have some sort of bodysuit with knives all over. It's hard to get a lot of detail with how dark it is, but they look to also be carrying grenades. And their mask seems to be a demon mas- shit. It's Oni Lee.

I tap Gorha's shoulder and motion for her to stop, then I dismount.

"What's up, you pick something up?" she asks me.

"Yeah, I found Oni Lee a couple streets over, seems he's scouting out something. He's an ABB cape."

"Sweet, then we kick his ass and make him tell us where Bakuda is. Is he guarding anything, or just hanging out?"

I check the building Oni Lee is standing on and a few of the ones around him, but don't find anything. "No, seems he's just looking around. It might be a little hard to fight him, I guess he's suppose to be a teleporter who likes to suicide bomb his problems. He's got a pretty big body count from what PHO says."

Gorha groans. "I hate teleporters, do you know if Phony Oni is a eyesight teleporter, or an anywhere teleporter?"

"Um, what's the difference?"

"Well an eyesight teleporter needs to see where they want to go to teleport, the other one just goes where they want to go, it's kinda cheating." She shrugs and shakes her head. "The first one we might have a chance against, but the second one, we'd be better off just not fighting him then. I'm just thankful he's not a flyer."

"You don't like flyers?"

She shakes her head. "Nope, hate them almost as much as teleporters. I can't fly so I really can't fight them well."

"What about and teleporting flyer?"

Gorha shudders in disgust. "That's just cheating, and that's coming from the person who is basically unkillable. I'd just rather not fight a teleporter though, so maybe we should move on."

"You don't want to fight someone, oh lord, are you feeling okay?" I jokingly say.

"Ha, normally I would, but you're here so I don't want to take the risk of fighting an opponent who I can't pin down. That and you getting suicide bombed and turned into paste might make me violently sad."

"How violently sad?"

She gives me a so-so motion with her hand. "Somewhere between inconsolable, and murder rampage through the city."

Yeah maybe we should avoid rampages. I haven't even seen her fully transform yet, but if it's more murder-y than normal we should probably steer away from that. "Oof, okay well I guess we should start heading the other way then, anywhere else you think we shou- hold on, he's moving!"

I sense Oni Lee turn and, suddenly he is much closer!

Good news, when he teleports, he takes any bugs on him with him. Bad news, he is now two building away from us, though facing the wrong way. Yeah just keep moving, don't be perceptive, we don't exist.

Of course as soon as I think that, he turns our way. He was scanning the area but as soon as he sees us, he locks on to us. It's weird though, even though he caught us like deer in headlights, he hasn't made any kind of movement. Maybe he can't see us in the dark.

Then suddenly I sense him behind Gorha, and she now has a knife sticking through her chest from behind. I look over and see the Oni a couple buildings over disintegrate, and when I turn back there's a whole lot of Oni Lee in front of me. He slashes his knife across my throat, and thank god for spider silk because the knife doesn't cut through the costume at all. Seeing that he didn't kill me, he then steps back and does a spinning round house kick. That would be pretty cool, if he didn't just kick me in the head and sent me tumbling to the ground. My left mask lens is cracked, and my head is spinning. While I'm down, Oni Lee drops to a knee and plunges his knife straight down towards my face. He gets interrupted by Gorha's foot through his head, but he just turns to dust and Gorha gets her throat slashed as pay back from a new Oni, and he rips out the knife he left in her back.

Gorha swings at the ninja, but he crumbles into dust again, and she gets a throwing knife in the side.

"Fucking teleporters!" She charges at him, and he run to her. They meet and Gorha gets a knife to the guts, while Oni Lee gets dusted again. He's teleporting faster than Gorha can hit him. After a minute she throws off her jacket and her blade arms explode out of her back.

After her change she is moving faster now, but not fast enough to keep up still. Although Oni Lee's knives seem to not be cutting as deep as before as Gorha gets tougher. It's almost like watching what happened to Alabaster, but now Gorha is on the receiving end.

I try to get more bugs on Oni Lee to help but he's moving around to much, accidentally giving my bugs a wild goose chase over the rooftop as I try to catch him.

Gorha though, oh she is starting to get very mad. Her eyes are glowing red with anger and I can hear her growling. She starts alternating between cutting him with her blade arms, and throwing her quills with lethal precision, but none of it is fast enough to get him and she's getting frustrated.

She is also starting to look rather pale, she was white before but now it's a different shade.

They come to blows again, and when Oni gets summarily dusted, he leaves something behind this times. It's round and when Gorha notices it, she goes to kick it away. Before her foot can connect with it, it explodes, sending Gorha flying back, without her legs. She rolls over the top of the roof a little, then catches herself with her hands and blade arms while her legs grow back.

She's breathing heavily, heavily enough to where I can hear it across the rooftop where I am. Her head suddenly whips up and her eyes home in on Oni Lee. I see that there are 6 jagged lines going horizontally over her temple, 3 on each side. They go into her hairline, and aren't healing, they aren't bleeding though.

She takes a deep breathe, and lets loose a piercing screech. "aaaaaAAAAA **AARRRRRGGHHHHHHHHHH**!" Her screech sounds like her voice at first, but start to go into a higher pitch, up to a point where it almost sounds like there's two screeches happening at the same time, overlapping with one another. She then stands when her legs have fully grown back, and she is taller than she was before, much taller. Normally she's around 5'8ish, but now she is somewhere close to 7 and a half. Her arms and legs are longer, and she's even whiter now then before, and her blade arms have grown larger as well. She is still breathing heavy, and there's murder in her eyes.

Even quicker than before, Gorha lunges at Oni Lee. He crumbles into dust as a clawed hand rips his face off. Then the new Oni Lee slashes at her from behind, but now his knife is only barely cutting into Gorha's flesh. She backhands this one, and as a new one forms behind her, she sweeps a leg out and kicks Oni Lee's feet out from him and slices him in half.

Oni Lee appears across the the roof, he catches himself as the leg that took the sweep buckles. He takes a couple limping steps, but adjusts quickly. I see that his bodysuit is torn and his side is bleeding lightly, almost a scratch really, but that means Gorha is moving fast enough to get Oni Lee off guard now.

While he was recovering I got some more potent bugs on him. I move some wasps to crawl under his mask, while I send some spiders to the wound on his side, black widows for fun, because fuck him.

As soon as he teleports to Gorha again, I have the spiders bite, and keep pumping venom. Fun fact, did you know when spiders bite people they rarely pump any venom, it's just the venom that's already on their fangs that people get. It's just to scare us off. Black widows are dangerous with just their scaring bites, now I'm making them empty their venom glands. Again, fuck Oni Lee. He tried to slash my throat open.

At the same time I have my wasp sting his eye, the eyeball, I got lucky and struck just before his eyelid closed reflexively.

As he grunts in pain and brings a hand up to his one eye, Gorha strikes him with a punch to the shoulder and there's a loud cracking noise as Oni goes reeling. A follow up dusts him.

He appears on a different roof, with his arm hanging limply, the shoulder visibly deformed, and his blood drips from his hand. Then he teleports close to me, and with one working hand he pulls a grenade off his bandoleer, tosses it near me, and teleports again. He teleports almost far enough to be out of my range, and the other him falls to dust on it's own.

I start backing away as quick as I can. Gorha rushes over and picks me up. " **Hold on!** " And she dives towards the edge of the roof. Then the grenade goes off, and a huge circle of null space darker than black comes into existence and rapidly expands. It leaves a perfect cut into the roof. It moves fast enough to catch Gorha, more than half of Gorha. We hit the pavements below, buffered by Gorha's blade arms so they take most of the impact, but it's still pretty jarring.

As soon as I have my barrings I get up and check on Gorha. "No! No, no Owl are you okay!" Everything from where her heart would be and down is just gone, no gore, no mulched bits. Just gone. I'm cradling what's left of her and I feel tears start to swell and I rock back and forth. I'm panicking, hyperventilating. I feel like I just got my new friend, I can't lose her already.

Before I get to far into thinking of all the horrible things, and breaking down, I feel something lightly smack against my chest a few times. I open my eyes and look down. Gorha, no she's a wreck and lost the bandanna and mask at some point, it's just Owl now and she's smiling. Smiling!? She then puts up one finger, like she's telling me to wait.

Then I look farther down and see that she's regenerating.

She's regenerating! Oh thank god. I hug her close, and shake her back and forth in happiness. I look again and see, lungs? Ew everything is growing back pretty fast, but it's also pretty nasty, ugh. When most of her rib cage is back she takes a deep breathe. "Don't worry Skitty, it'll take more than that to put me down." Then she pats my cheek. I just hug her again.

With my face buried in her hair I mumble. "Let's not fight anymore teleporters, I don't think I could go through something like this again."

"Hehehehe, yeah I fucking hate teleporters." Me and her just laugh for a little bit.

"I didn't know your healing was this broken, I was so worried I lost you." I hug her a little tighter.

As her arms finish growing she reaches up and hugs me back. "I'm sorry for scaring you, during the fight and after. Don't worry though, I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon."

"Is that as far as you can transform, because if I'm honest, it's pretty scary."

"No, it's not even close."

"You were so tall, and, and your voice was so different." I say weakly.

She rubs my back. "I can get so much taller, and faster, and scarier. I hope you never have to see it. I'm healed up now to."

I shake my head. "Can I just have another minute, I just wanna make sure you're here for good."

"What are you afraid if you let go, I'll disappear?" She gives a little mirthless laugh.

"...yeah." I admit. I just can't face the idea that she was almost gone.

She pulls me into the hug more. "Take your time, it's okay."

After a couple minutes I pull back and start to get up, she does to. Then I turn to her. "Okay, should we keep, ehhhhhh." Owl's back is to me while she looks around. It's just that there's one side effect of her getting vaporized.

Wow, that looks so firm, yet soft. She bends down to pick up her hat. And that's more Owl than I thought I'd ever see.

She turns around, brushes her hat off, and puts it on. "You were saying something." Wow, those look even softer. She must see that I'm kinda focused somewhere else, and she looks down. "Urg, I just got that costume." She snaps her fingers. "Hey, eyes up here."

It startled me, and I look anywhere but her. "Sorry, sorry, wasn't expecting, um, that." Turns out vaporized clothes don't also regenerate. Also I'm pretty sure I'm red enough right now to be radioactive.

"It's fine, but I think we should probably call it a night. It's getting pretty late, and I'm naked. Come on hop on lets go." She crouches down a little to give me another piggyback.

"Um, are you sure?" I say while trying to still not look at her, to much. Man is it hot in this mask or just me.

"Well as long as you watch your hands it's fine, I'm still faster than you so less time outside naked the better."

I finally crumble to her wishes and hop on. "And here I thought you would love being out and naked." I awkwardly joked.

"No silly, skimpy not naked. There's a difference between being flirty and slutty, and just being a slut. I have standards, admittedly not many, but still a few."

We started going, and I rested my head on Owl's shoulder.

With all the excitement of the day, and all the adrenaline that had finally worked it's way out of my system, I feel pretty tired. What a long and shitty day. I guess I could just close my eyes for a second. Yeah that sounds nice. So nice.

"Hey, Tay?" Snnrrk. "Snoring already huh, it's okay trooper I'll get you to safety, hehehe."

* * *

 **AN: Bit short, but I like it. So turns out Owl is like _really_ hard to kill. And we're a little closer to her full transformation, but that will still be a while probably. Also there's lot of capes who counter Owl, it's literally just a game of stay away. It's pretty lucky then that she teamed up with Taylor for long range support.**

 **Also came across a big case of the fuck-its lately so if the chapter kinda sucks, sorry. I ain't got much in the tank lately for some reason. I'm mostly running off road rage and fanfiction, with a splash of physical labor job on the side.**

 **Eh pointless problems no one cares about** **aside, if you liked it please review, if you didn't tell me. I'd still love to hear what everyone thinks.**

 **-Killa**


	11. Chapter 11

I slowly return to consciousness, feeling sore yet again. At least the bed is soft. I stretch out and enjoy it for a while. I don't remember my bed being so big though.

With that realization I shoot up and look around, but I don't have my glasses and everything is blurry. I gather bugs to supplement my sight. I see that I'm in someone's bedroom, but it's blank. There's no personal belongings, clothes, decorations, anything. I get up and out of the bed slowly and see that I'm still in my costume, but my mask is gone and I don't see it anywhere. I start to rifle through drawers in the room, but I can't find anything. I move to the wall out of sight of the doorway and start to search the rest of the place I woke up in.

I send the bugs out and they end up in a hallway, then I spread them out. It seems to be an apartment. The only things I find are a couple duffel bags in the living room, and I see my mask on the counter of the attached kitchen. Soaked into one end of the couch seems to be old blood stains. As I send bugs down the hall, I hear running water. I guide them into what seems to be the bathroom. It looks nicer than the rest of the apartment, bigger to. The showers running and through the fogged glass I see someone hunched over on their knees in the shower, someone blonde.

What happened yesterday starts to come back to me as I realize I'm in Owl's apartment. I start to make the bugs leave.

"Stop." Then there's a wet squelch. Her voice sounds empty and raw, lower than normal. Olivia is in there, but how did she know I moved the bugs in. I turn them to look, but Olivia is still in the shower, still hunched. Like she hasn't moved at all.

"Stop." There's that noise again. Curiosity gets the better of me sadly, and I send a couple bugs over the top of the glass to see.

The first thing the bugs notice is that it's cold, just ice cold water. I look and see that the hot is turned on fully. How long has she been in here. Then I see that the bottom of the shower is covered in blood swirling down the drain.

"Stop." Olivia moves her arms, the first movement I've seen from her, and I hear the noise again.

I move the bugs down to get a look at where the noise is coming from, and where all this blood is coming from.

Through her curtain of hair I see that she has a pained look on her face, with tears streaming down. Her hands clutch something near her chest, and she slowly pulls her hands away. It's a knife, a large kitchen knife. Positioned right over her heart. As she pulls it out, a rush of blood flows out before the wound seals shut.

"Stop." Then she stabs the knife into her heart again, and I hear the noise. The noise of Olivia hurting herself.

I want to go in there. Go and stop her from hurting herself. Oh god do I want to. But I can't. She'll know I violated her privacy, saw her in a vulnerable moment. That might do more damage.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid." Every word, punctuated with a knife's blade. She's shaking, and slowly falling forward until her head hits the floor. "I don't need your pity." She sobs out. "We fucked up Owl. We fucked up and scared her."

Me? Well she did scare me, and has gotten rather violent in fights.

She falls to her side and curls up, knife still in her chest. "I don't want to lose her, I can't go through that again." Her hands raise up to her face and starts clawing gouges into it. "We're monsters! I-I got to excited, I always get to excited. And now she must hate us!"

I didn't even notice when I started to move, but somehow I'm already at the bathroom door. I hesitated opening the door. Uncertainty fills me, but being forced to hear her pain filled whimpers, hearing her cry thinking she lost me. I'm through the door before I make up my mind. I open the glass door and shut off the water.

She looks up slowly at the absence of the water, and shrinks back a little when she sees me. "T-taylor?" She looks so afraid, of me. I drop to a knee and reach towards her and she flinches. I stop for a moment in reaction, then reach down. I grab the knife handle still in her chest and slowly pull it out. I throw the knife away, and it clatters across the floor. She still looks afraid, and I sit and pull her to me and hold her again.

"Ya big idiot, yeah you scared me, but I'm not leaving any time soon." She looks surprised, then turns slightly and wraps me in both her arms and buries her head in my still costumed chest. "I told you yesterday, I was afraid that you were leaving me. I'm not going anywhere." The water may as well still be going with how Olivia is crying right now, all big fat tears and pure ugly crying. And that's just fine.

* * *

After a while Olivia settles, and I get up to leave. I shoot one last glance at the knife before I go.

I settle into the couch and turn on the tv. Sadly, it's just more news about the bombing. And surprisingly someone caught the fight we had with the Empire. Someone even took video. The video starts with Gorha meeting them, cuts before the fight starts because this is tv, and ends with her talking with Assault. There's no sound, the person who filmed was probably to far away. The news anchor says the full video was posted on PHO, and they warn people that it is very graphic. Well that probably doesn't put us in great spot, even if the people we beat were Nazis. That wasn't a pretty fight, though the newscaster didn't mention Alabaster dying.

And Olivia pulled her bandanna down part way through the fight didn't she. Shit I hope that isn't a problem.

She had her mask on so hopefully that might stop her identity from getting out.

Those domino masks seem useless with how little they seem to cover, either people are idiots or they buy into those unwritten rules pretty hard.

Before I could think deeper on how capes seem dumb, Olivia sits on the couch next to me with her new clothes on. She looks a little ashamed.

"How." She gulps and plays with her hands for a second. "How much did you see?"

"I'm pretty sure I only saw the end bits. How long were you in there?"

She looks at the tv receiver to get the time, then sighs. "A while."

We sit in silence for a while. Eventually I ask. "Does that happen, often?"

She looks down at the couch, the blood stained end of the couch shes sitting at. Her hand rests on the cushion, she clenches her fist for a second, then relaxes. "It happens fairly often. It is like an itch that demands to be scratched. I sleep on the couch, and sometimes the nightmares become really bad. I wake up with my nails in my face, with the couch covered in blood." She leans back and looks straight up. "The s-stabbing, that's because I deserve it."

I turn to her a nudge her. "You don't deserve that."

With her head still leaned back she looks at me. Her eyes are still sad, mournful, ashamed. "Taylor, I have hurt a lot of people. When I say that I am a monster, it is because I was. After I triggered I use to lash out at people, hurt them because of how I was hurt. I was a horrible person. A killer. If there is a Hell, I'm being sent there when I finally find a way to die."

We just continue to sit there.

She twitches for a second. "We went out shopping after we dropped you off." Owl says. "There's some cereal in the cabinet if you want some."

"Alright." I say quietly. I get up and walk into the kitchen. I watch Owl through my bugs and she points to a cabinet. I open it and see a box of generic marshmallow cereal, a plastic bowl, and a box of plastic spoons on the same shelf. I guess it's the little things you forget about when you can't eat normal food. I open her fridge and get milk.

While I'm making my bowl of cereal and ask Owl. "Is Olivia going to be okay, are you okay?"

She gives me a smile. "I'll be fine Tay. Liv had to step out though, she was starting to feel the pain to much." She gives and sigh and stretches out on the couch. "We don't feel pain very much, like normal pain. I could jump off the top of a building and turn into a smear on the sidewalk and it would only tickle. Liv though, she has always been in pain. It's constant burning. That's why she doesn't like to be control. Sometimes though she goes to a dark place and tries to cut the pain out. It's one of the things we've been working on, but we haven't made any progress."

When I start to walk over she makes room for me.

"She's always so hard on herself." She gets off the couch and stands, then hops and turns to me, snaps her finger and points at me. "Alrighty, what are we doing today Tay?"

I finish my spoonful of sugar before answering. "I'd like to look for Bakuda some more, but I think I should go see my dad."

"Oh yeah, we probably should check on Danny. But, before we do that you'll need some new clothes. As funny as it would probably be for Skitter to go see Danny in the hospital, we probably shouldn't do that. Unless that's how you plan on telling your dad that your a cape."

I look at myself through the bugs and notice, again, that I'm still in costume. This thing just fits well, I guess I forgot about it. "Yeah, I'm going to need something else to wear. We could probably stop by my house."

"Okay, well I have some not horribly ruined clothes you can wear in the mean time."

I finish breakfast, then we get the clothing situated, and start to head out and in the direction of my house. As we go I still use my bugs to search all the buildings just in case.

* * *

After walking for a while, Owl grabs my arm to get my attention. "Tay~, I smell someone familiar." She says in a sing-song voice. Then she looks back and forth while sniffing. Then she slaps my chest and points across the street. Standing at a crosswalk with their backs to us are a man and a woman. The man is a red head, and seems to be rather theatrical with the way he's talking, or just silly. The woman is a bit shorter than him with short darker hair and a serious expression.

Owl motions for me to follow, then runs across the street and starts to sneak up behind them.

When we get there, Owl throws her arms around the red head. He tenses immediately and looks ready for a fight. "Hey there chief, you got that answer for me yet." She purrs into his ear. When he hears that, he relaxes, but now looks rather nervous. The woman turns and looks at Owl with narrowed eyes, then at the guy with a glare, and back to Owl. After a second her eyes widen, and she pales a little.

The man gulps, and says to Owl in a joking tone. "Well someone seems to like breaking rules huh."

Owl laughs. "Well of course, what's life without a couple broken rules." The man gives a little laugh, and the woman gives him a little glare. Owl the sniffs at the lady. "Oh, you reek of him, are you his lady friend?"

Lady friend? And who is this guy, with red hair, and the familiar joking tone. Oh my god, Owl just unmasked Assault. I give her a little shove. "You can't just do that." I whisper-yell at her. Then I turn to the lady to apologize, and just mentally impose a costume on her just to see. Yup, that's Battery. I groan.

Assault looks at me with mirth filled eyes, and pulls Owl's arms off him. "Well now aren't we in a funny predicament. Sorry if I just happen to _bug_ you ma'am." And he gives me a big stupid grin.

Battery punches him in the arm. "You're not allowed to do that either!"

He's still smiling. "Sorry Puppy, but my hands are tied. Sides I'm just letting her know, I know. Easier for everyone if we're open about it for now. Cat's outta the bag." He then turns to Owl, who is also smiling. "Also to your question, probably not. Ask me next week after this has cooled off a little."

Owl gets a gleam in her eye. "Well I guess in 7 days I'll hunt you down for that answer. Don't worry about finding me, I'll find you." And she gives him a wink.

He laughs nervously and rubs his head. "Okay, I guess I'll see you then."

Battery turns to me. "I'm sorry about him, I really am."

"It's fine, I'm sorry about Owl, and this whole situation I guess."

"It's unavoidable really, you get to excitable people like them together and this is bound to happen." She shakes her head, while she talks to me Owl and Assault are still joking with each other. "So what were you guys doing yesterday night are you met this bum." She motions to Assault. " There was reported explosions in the area near where you guys were, but no one knows what happened in the area besides property damage."

Should I tell her? Well we won, and Oni Lee attacked us so I think it should be fine. "We found Oni Lee, or he found us really, and he decided to fight us. We beat him, but he was a sore loser and dropped a grenade and left."

"Are you alright, he's a tough opponent. He doesn't pull his punches." She asks with a little worry.

"I'm fine, Owl kept him away from me."

She nods. "Alright, that's good. Well we need to be somewhere, so it was nice meeting you and I'm glad you're okay." She puts her hand forward for me to shake. "I'm Jane by the way, and the idiot over there is Ethan."

I hesitate for a moment, should I? This is quite a feat of trust to give your name, but she gave me her's so I guess it's just fair. "I'm Taylor." I shake her hand and she gives me a kind smile.

"If you ever need help, please call. You have Owl for support, but independents have a very short lifespan in this city and you seem like a nice girl. I'd hate for you to lose your life over something stupid." She then turns to Ethan. "Hey, we gotta go if we're going to make our appointment."

Ethan nods and says his goodbyes. We turn and head the other direction.

After a block or so Owl starts talking. "They were planted there to meet us."

I draw up short at that. "What?"

She gives me a serious look. "The PRT unmasked them on purpose to build rapport with us, to make sure we stay allies."

"So Jane and Ethan didn't actually care at all, they're just manipulating us?" I ask with a little anger, and a feeling of betrayal.

"No, they didn't seem to want to do it at all. They were honest with their worry, they don't want either of us to get hurt. I'm thinking the PRT strong armed them into doing this though."

I stew on that for a little while. "How do you know?"

"It wouldn't be the first time they've tried something like this before. It probably won't be the last either. Good news, Ethan seems to genuinely care, and wants to get to know us. Jane wants Ethan to be safe, so she'll play along to keep him safe, but she also likes you. She doesn't like the fact that you've been in three dangerous fights so far. Seems she might have a little bit of a protective streak, of course most heroes do though."

"But how do you know all that, can you smell it or something?"

She laughs at that. "No I can't smell it, I'm just good at reading people. The skill comes with living on the streets for years. Also the PRT isn't the most subtle of organisations."

"Aren't you worried though. They know who you are in costume, hell they know who I am out of costume."

She thinks for a bit. "Nah, if I was worried about those two, I wouldn't have approached them at all. Besides I played into that so they think I'm predictable, silly and air headed is a surprisingly easy cover. Now the PRT on the other hand, no I don't trust them, but if I didn't do that they would possibly try something more risky."

"If the PRT tries something riskier though, wouldn't that put people in danger?"

"Yes, but most higher ups in the PRT look for results first, safety second. Though the PRT in this city might operate differently, I'm not sure, but I'm not very hopeful."

Well that's not very reassuring. And it seems pretty disgusting that they would try something like this to. "Let's just go to my place and get clothes, I'm already done with today." I say.

"Alright, just remember. The heroes try to mean well, really they do, they're just led be idiots. Try not to hold it against them to much."

I just give her a noncommittal grunt as we head on our way.

* * *

I grab my clothes and glasses so I can finally see with my own eyes. We head to the hospital and are told what room my dad is in. We head there, and when I enter I see dad laying on the bed. He's sleeping, in a hospital gown, hooked up to a few machines. Me and Owl sit by him.

We chit chat quietly for a while, me shooting him glances every now and then, wishing he would wake up.

After a while of talking with Owl I was starting to get restless, starting to lose hope for the day, but I hear a groan that lifts my spirits.

I turn and look at the bed and see dad slowly waking up. He looks a little confused as his eyes focus on the room, but he clears up quickly. He then sees me and smiles. "Taylor."

"Dad!" I go over quickly and hug him. He gives a little oof, but hugs me back. After a minute we break off the hug with a bit of hesitation. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, little owl, just sore." Oh he just had to use mom's pet name for me. I feel my eyes start to well up a little.

"Little Owl huh?"

I look behind me and see Owl, with one of the biggest grins I've ever seen. "Oh no." She just gives a little giggle.

"Good to see you're feeling good Danny."

He looks a little shocked to she her here, but he recovers. "Oh Owl you came to, nice to see you." Owl just waves.

I turn back on dad. "Are you okay, what's wrong, when are you getting out." I ask rapidly.

He pats my hand. "Slow down, I'm right here. I'm fine, I just got a bit roughed up. There keeping me for observation for a couple days to make sure I'm fine, but so far I'm all good." He gives me a smile.

I give him another hug.

"Are you okay at the house without me?"

I almost want to say that it's not that different than normal, that it's not like he's ever really there anyway, but that would be unfair to him, especially right now. He doesn't need that weight on him now. "I spent the night at Owl's place. If you'll be here for a few days, I might still be there." I look back at Owl just to make sure it's okay.

She gives me a little nod. "It's fine you can stay if you want, _little owl_." I give a little groan, and dad just laughs.

"If it's alright with you, thank you Owl." Dad says.

"Eh, it's no problem. Tay's good people, so it's fun."

We both take a seat on either side of dad and start to talk about nothing with him, Owl throws in jokes every now and then, and I just enjoy talking with my dad for the first time in two years.

All it took to really reconnect with him was a possible life threatening situation.

All the earlier worries of the day just seem to melt away for now.

* * *

 **AN: Well if the first scene made you uncomfortable, I wrote it right. I was iffy on it at first, but that's always been a thing of Owl's so sadly it felt right.**

 **If you liked the chapter please review and let me know you enjoyed.**

 **-Killa**


	12. Chapter 12

Eventually we have to leave the hospital, although I would have liked to stay we had things we needed to do today. Things like hunting Bakuda. We both say our goodbyes to my dad, and I give him one last hug.

As we get about half way back to Owl's apartment, Owl lets out a long suffering groan. "I left my new jacket on the roof last night." She hangs her head and keeps walking.

"Did we buy another one of them the other day?"

"I hope so, I'll have to check when we get back. Man this sucks, that jacket was rad."

I raise an eyebrow at her calling something 'rad', but I don't comment on it. "Couldn't you just wear a hoodie and cut a couple holes in the back, or just go without and just wear your tank top."

She shakes her head. "Nah, it wouldn't be the same." Then something must come to her mind, because her eyes light up with mischief. "Maybe I could go with your tank top idea though, because I know you'd like to see me with less clothes on." She gets a big smirk and shoots me a wink.

I give her a light shove. "Oh my god, you're horrible. One time. I look one time."

She snickers. "Oh, I'm never letting you live that down. It's just to many possible jokes packed into one moment. It'd be a crime to not rib you on checking me out."

I shake my head, but I'm still smiling. We keep sniping little jokes back and forth for the rest of the walk back to her apartment, laughing the whole way.

* * *

We go back out again, picking up where we left off last night. Owl in her slightly different Gorha costume, it mostly looks the same, but her new black jacket is cloth instead of leather. I fixed my cracked mask lens while Owl was complaining about losing street cred with her new jacket.

I'm back on Gorha's back as well. We walked a block and a half, but then Gorha complained about it being to slow and picked me up.

Gorha decided to try and follow Oni Lee's scent. It being the next day, and with him teleporting everywhere, I figured it would be hard for her to follow the scent, but she assured me she could follow it. Something about him bleeding makes it easier, and that she would know the smell of a dirty teleporter anywhere. I'm a little skeptical about that last bit, but if it gets us to Bakuda I guess it works.

After a good hour of roof hopping we start to enter the more industrial part of ABB territory. We pass more and more rarely used or abandoned warehouses.

Gorha sharply changes direction and starts to head towards a warehouse with an attached office building that's seen better days. "We're getting real close, Phoni should be right ahead."

As soon as the building comes within my range, I pour my bugs into the place, and I'm very surprised. The outside of the building looks bad, well it looks like every other building around here at least. There are a few people patrolling around the outside, but if you couldn't see all of them at once you'd think they where just going for a walk. They're even hiding their walkie talkies and guns to make themselves blend in more.

The inside though, oh the inside looks well taken care of. It looks like the dock economy never tanked in this building. The office building seems to be turned into some form of barracks in places, the second and third floors are mainly taken up with uniform bunk beds with a form of cafeteria on the second floor. The first floor entrances are heavily barricaded, one of the entrances is filled with sandbags covering a mounted gun of some form that's pointed at the doors. The rest of the first floor seems to be storage and an armory, filled with guns and body armor. The fourth floor, the last floor, seems to be filled with more private rooms, filled with more personal affects.

What stops me cold though is when I start to search those rooms, I find Oni Lee. He's sitting in what I think is his room on the floor. He's on his knees, sitting on his feet. His mask is off and he's holding it with both hands in his lap, the demon face staring back at him. His head is bent down with his eyes closed, one being swelled closed. There's a small puddle of blood under his deformed arm and his side with the cut. I strike quickly, sending a few more bugs through the open window and cover his eyes. He doesn't move. I make the bugs bite, to try and limit him more. He doesn't move. I cover him in insects. He doesn't even flinch. He doesn't make a noise, hell he doesn't even take a breathe. In fact he hasn't breathed since I found him, hasn't moved.

Now a cold feeling starts to fill me. I start to check him. The cut in his side, the place where I made all the black widows bite. It looks bad, god it looks awful! I'm starting to get this sinking feeling.

I lean down to tell Gorha. "I found Oni Lee." I pause for a second and fight back the bad taste in my mouth. "I, I think he's dead."

Gorha stops on a roof and puts me down. "Good, that's one threat out of the way." She nods and looks back at the warehouse.

"Gorha, I think I killed him." I say softly, a bit of a waver in my voice.

She is still looking at the building, scoping it out. "Well he did try to stab you in the face, I think that's a fair response."

She doesn't get it does she. This is just an old hat for her, you fight, and someone doesn't walk away. I'd be worried about it, but I'm still trying to justify me killing someone.

Justify? I killed a man. Oh god I did that.

But he was trying to hurt me, he was going to kill me.

That doesn't make it okay though.

He was throwing grenades at me.

But who am I to take a life. A sad loser decides who lives and dies. That's not right, it can't be right.

I wanted to be a hero, but do heroes kill people. Am I-

"Owl, am I a bad guy?" There's a little quiver in my voice that I tried to squash, but just couldn't.

She still doesn't look back. "Do you feel guilty right now? Like there's a sinking pit in your gut. Do you feel that you should have do something different?"

"Yeah, all of it, yeah. I should have done something different. Why did I kill him!? I could have stopped." I wrap my arms around myself.

Gorha finally turns around, sending one last longing glance at the building as she walks over. She stands in front of me. "Skitter, the cape world isn't as nice and shiny as the government and society likes you to think. It's dark, disgusting, and sometimes down right horrible. On the outside the capes just have cute little back and forths. Go down a layer though, the PRT will bury capes, their capes that don't play long. The villains and crime lords, they'll execute their own henchmen for talking out of line. You killed Oni Lee, yes. Accept that, because you can't bring him back. He's dead." I shiver and wither a little. "But he also picked a fight with us completely unprovoked. He saw us and decided to try to kill us, just because we were there. He was scum, horrible scum. And you defended yourself, you took a bad guy off the streets."

I had to look away from her. She sounds so sure of what she's saying, but that can't be how it really is right. I mean yeah Brockton sucks, I get that. But everywhere is the same? Maybe to a lesser extent though. God if that's how it really is than that kinda puts a downer on my hope filled future cape career. "I get it was self defense, but shouldn't I have at least tried to capture him or something?" Something, anything else but murder.

She puts her hand on my shoulder and gives it a firm squeeze. "Tay." She almost whispers. "The cape world is not pretty. You can't capture teleporting capes, it's just not easy or effective. The sad truth is that either they're on your side or they're in the ground. Especially a killer like Oni Lee. A man like that has a large body count, and a willingness to kill. You saved yourself. You saved me, probably. You gave closure to anyone he's ever killed. And you feel guilty, which is good. If you felt fine about killing someone, than there's a problem. You're on the right path, you just hit a little speed bump."

I give her a nod. I feel better, not good, but better. "Alright, let's just get this over with." I don't wanna wear this mask right now, but we have a job to do.

"Good, now let's get Bakuda. Remember Bakuda has hurt a lot of people, they may even be worse than Oni Lee. We'll try to take them in, but if push comes to shove, you're more valuable to me than some psycho. If it's us or them, please choose us." She's implying more murder. Not murder, it's self defense right?

She walks back to the edge and continues to watch. Instead of questioning her, I fill her in on what I'm seeing in the building. While I tell her about the office, I move my bugs to the warehouse. That part of the building is absolutely packed with stuff. There's catwalks running above the floor with people camped out on top of it, keeping watch over everything. The floor is filled with crates, some stacked 20 feet high, packed full of guns, machinery, electronics, and other random parts. It's a maze, and the only ways in are some shutter doors in a docking area, and doors in from the office building. All the emergency exits seem to be bricked over or covered up. Towards the back of the warehouse is a cleared area with tools and a workbench littered with things and devices. And standing at the workbench is a woman.

She's on the shorter side, with straight black hair. She's Asian, with a plain face that's scrunched in concentration. She's wearing some form of bodysuit similar to Oni Lee's, but with more padding, and a pair of big, stompy boots that don't seem to really fit her. She's fiddling with things on the bench, putting together components. After a while of watching, she shoves the mess of wires and stuff into a shell. The shell looks like one of Oni Lee's grenades that he used last night. She nods her head and looks smugly at the finished grenade, then grabs more things and starts to work on another one. There's a gas mask sitting on her workbench.

Is that her mask? Have we found Bakuda?

"I think I got Bakuda, she's in the warehouse making bombs. What do you think we should do?"

Gorha thinks for a second. "If I sneak in through Oni Lee's window, would you be able to guide me quietly to Bakuda?"

I use my bugs to plot a course through the building, all the way to the bomb maker. "It'll be tight, and I could probably use fireflies to guide you. Would you be able to take it slow enough not to be noticed?"

"I'm pretty good at sneaking when I need to, don't worry."

"If you get spotted this is going to go down hill fast."

"I said don't worry. I got this." There's determination in her eyes and a smile in her voice. I have some reservations about this, but I do think Gorha can do this.

She takes off her jacket and tosses it to me, then her quill slowly grow out from her back. "I see the look you're giving me. I'm doing this so my senses are better. It's going to be hard to see fireflies in daylight, I'd rather not take any chances." She then plucks a quill and holds it in her hand. "That and this gives me a quieter lethal option if, _IF_ I need it."

"Alright. When you're in there I'll put a firefly on a wall on flash it if someone is close in that direction. When I show you something in bugs, nod when you see it so I know. If you need anything else, whisper it, I should be able to hear you. Okay?"

She nods. "Got it Boss."

"Good." I point off to one side. "Go down in the alley over there, I'll guide you from there."

She gives me another nod and hops right off the roof.

I slowly, very slowly guide her towards the open window. While she is in the alley, I set three fireflies in a triangle and flash them, then spell out 'This means stop'

"Got it."

I time the guard rotation just right and make sure no one is looking out a window, and when it's clear I turn the flies into an arrow. She sprints across the open street and jumps three stories up and through the window. She rolls into the room and looks around.

She walks around to the front of Oni Lee and looks him up and down. "Hey Skitty, how much can your bugs carry?"

'Depends'

She reaches down and gently opens Oni Lee's hands and takes his mask, then pulls a couple grenades off his bandoleer. "Would you be able to carry these off, I want them. Might be able to use the grenades later at some point."

I take some of the more noticeable insects and less useful ones and test the weight of the items. When I get them settled I send the bugs off with them.

After that I send Gorha through the door and into the hall. She goes towards the stairs, but I have her stop at the top. One of the ABB is walking by a floor down. When they go by I see a path open, but only for a short time. I spell out 'Hurry Hurry' and start gives arrows to Gorha. She speeds silently down the stairs and banks around the corner. I have her rush around a corner and book it down the hall.

As Gorha is half way down the hallway, some jackass decides to turn around and head towards her. I panic and have her stop. I go to turn her around, someone is heading that way to dammit. Can't go that way. I signal her to a door to her side. She jerks her thumb at it in question. I rapidly blink the fireflies and she nods and ducks into a supply closet. That same guy is walking towards it though, so I light a trail up the door, into the ceiling to get Gorha to try and hide above the door just in case. She climbs up and deploys her bladearms to secure herself.

The door unfortunately opens and the guy walks in and shuffles through some supplies, with Gorha hovering just above his head.

She takes out her quill, her eyes focused on the guy, just waiting.

If this stupid asshole looks up, he'll be dead before he knows what's happening. Oh please don't look up.

Eventually he finds what he needs, a gallon of bleach. He puts some things back where they were, takes his bleach, and leaves.

The door closes but Gorha waits up there for a second. After a little bit I signal her to get down. She stores her makeshift knife and heads to the door, putting her bladearms away.

We have a few more close calls in the office, but with my guidance Gorha makes it to the doors into the warehouse.

She goes through while I tell her how to avoid the the guards on the catwalks. She slowly but surely makes her way through the crate maze.

None of the guards are looking in Bakuda's direction, so I have Gorha approach slowly. At some point when I was focusing on Gorha, Bakuda put her mask on. Seems I need to work on not getting tunnel vision while we do something like this.

As Gorha gets closer a red light goes off above the workbench. Bakuda stops and turns around slowly.

"Looks like our wanna be Stranger finally shows up. Good job dumbass, you made it this far." Bakuda gives a condescending slow clap. Her voice is harsh and synthesized, but her smug tone still comes through well.

There's still about 50 feet between them.

"My pathetic little slaves didn't even know you made your way here yet. That's almost a laudable achievement, but you made the fatal make of being my enemy bitch."

Gorha growls and takes a step forward.

"Ah ah ah. Don't come to close, wouldn't want your friend to get hurt now would you."

"The hell is that suppose to mean."

"It means, idiot, that you and your friend were roof hopping in broad daylight, we noticed you coming from a ways out. Welcome to the trap. You make any wrong move, and your friend won't live long enough to see me turn you into a science experiment." There's a madness creeping into her machine like voice.

While this conversation is happening, I start searching everywhere around me for anyone that could have eyes on me. This is my own fault really. I was to focused. I can multitask like no ones business, so I should start using my damn power to the fullest extent.

Gorha replies to the crazy cape. "You hurt her at all, I'll skin you alive." She growls out. Her eyes have turned red.

I still can't find anyone in my range. I start to get up slowly and try to make my way towards an air conditioning unit for cover.

"You don't have any room to threaten me. Me! In my own base. I'm a god damned genius, and you and your stupid friend fell for my trap. You're nothing compared to me. Run at me, fight me, and you die slowly."

I lean against the unit and keep searching.

"But maybe you need an example."

There's a sudden pressure wave that hits me, and I notice I'm falling. By the time I hit the roof, the pain finally hits me. My leg is on fire, horrible pain. The worst I've ever felt. Everything becomes hard to focus on. I look down and notice that there's a hole in my thigh that wasn't there before.

Fuck they shot me! The sound of the shot finally catches up

I'm screaming in pain, and trying to slowly crawl away. The shot came from the other side of the warehouse, but it's definitely outside my range. I took cover in the wrong place, I was completely in the open.

The sound of the shot must make it into the warehouse to because Gorha whips her head in the direction of it, then turns back to Bakuda. Her bladearms explode from her back, and her eyes are burning with hate. "Did you just shoot at her?!"

Bakuda has the gall to laugh. "Shoot at her? I told them to shoot her." She laughs some more, then upholsters a side arm she had on her hip.

I make it to the other side and slowly stand. I put my hand against my thigh and pull it back, it's covered in blood. Oh no. Just as I steady myself, I'm falling again. The pain is immense. A shot from a different angle just blew out my shin. Now both of my legs are wounded, useless. Tears are filling up my lenses as I'm still screaming in pain. I crawl toward the raise corner of the building. Hoping it will give me cover from both snipers.

Either shot could have killed me. Then terror fills me, almost drowning out the pain in it's intensity. The snipers are just playing with me, it's just a game to them. Shooting a 15 year old is just a game, just their job.

When the sound of the second shot makes it to the warehouse, Gorha charges. Bakuda raises her pistol, but it's not a pistol. The barrel is to wide. She pulls the trigger and suddenly with a thompf, Gorha explodes and is sent flying off to the side.

"Ha, hahaha. Eat it bitch." Bakuda breaks the gun in half and pulls out a shell, then puts a new one in. Fuck, it's a grenade launcher. Oh fuck. She slowly walks to Gorha's limp battered form.

I make it to the corner, and just as I get there, I start getting shot at by both of the snipers. Crippled by pain, I curl into the corner. Still trying to get them in range futilely.

Bakuda walks up to Gorha. "See what happens when people fuck with me. HAHAHAH-"

She's cut off when she walks into Gorha's range and a barely in tact bladearm whips out, separating Bakuda's legs from her body. Gorha pulls her way onto Bakuda. She's still not fully regenerated, and the ruined bits of her face make her look like an absolute nightmare. Or at least that's Bakuda must think because she lets out a blood curdling scream. Either that or it's the pain from losing both her legs.

How's it feel bitch.

Bakuda pulls up her gun, but Gorha backhands it with enough force to shatter Bakuda's hand, sending the gun, and one of Bakuda's fingers, flying deeper into the warehouse. She then reaches up and punches Bakuda in the face, then grabs and rips the gas mask off with enough force to take some hair with it. Gorha then smashes the mask into Bakuda's face a couple times.

"Telling them to stop shooting, now!" Gorha's barely healed throat rasps out.

Bakuda is crying. "Who are you to boss me around, I'll kill you!"

Gorha grabs one of Bakuda's arms, and snaps it like a twig at the elbow. "Do it. Or I keep breaking you."

She's screaming in pain. "AHHhhh, all- alrigh, a-alright. I'll do it, I'll do it!"

Gorha grabs a radio off Bakuda and gives it to her. "Now!"

She fumbles with one hand, terror in her eyes. "C-call off the sniper team. Call them off!"

After a second a voice comes through the radio. "Okay." Then a second later. "Someone got to Bakuda, sniper team finish playing around and finish off the cape, we need your support here."

Bakuda looks afraid, then furious, then terrified. "No, no no you idiot call them off now, you stupid fu-"

Gorha reaches down and crushes the radio and throws it away.

"I tried, now you better leave. Or I'll make you regret it." I don't know where her false bravado is coming from, but it just pisses Gorha off more. False bravado, and primal terror.

"Regret it? No, no I won't regret anything." She stands over Bakuda and puts her foot on her head, pressing it sideways into the ground. Bakuda starts screaming as Gorha applies more and more pressure. Bakuda is flailing, both her shattered and broken arm and her good one, trying to get out from under Gorha's foot. Gorha just keeps slowly pushing down more. She's screaming now, screaming bloody murder, clawing at Gorha, the ground, her own face, anything to get away. But she can't. Her eyes are raining bloody tears, as red flows steadily from her nose. Her eyes, panicked and bloodshot. She gives one last lung bursting screech, before her skull finally gives and Gorha's foot turns Bakuda's head to paste.

The sniper shots pick up the pace, as fear runs through me. She failed, she didn't call them off. If only they were in range, if only. Come on, just a little more please! I'm losing to much blood, please not like this.

But they are in my range, but they weren't before. How?!

Questions later, live now. I gather a swarm, a big swarm, the biggest swarm. And I hit them with it, all of them. Every single ABB member in my range. The snipers, the warehouse guards, all of them.

I bury them. Bugs go for eyes, genitals, any soft spot.

But it's not enough, they keep fighting, keep moving. They could hurt me again, and again. Like the Trio did. Hurt me. Hurt Owl. They could hurt my dad again! Again!

Insects funnel down open wind pipes, fill interiors and bite, burrow, and tear.

I'm choosing us.

I curl into myself more, into the safety of the corner of the roof.

They won't hurt us.

They won't ever hurt me.

* * *

 **AN: The ending for this one went through a couple revisions. It could have went a few different ways, but as soon as I wrote this one down I knew this was the ending I wanted.**

 **At first it was the gang just wins yay. Then it went to Owl stopped Bakuda and got her in PRT custody yay. Then it became Taylor gets hit with bomb and her bugs go apeshit, so Owl goes mad and it leads to fight with the** **Protectorate, but Taylor recovers and saves everyone through the power of friendship yay.**

 **Well I got to this one, and holy shit I had Owl crush Bakuda's head in the most brutal way possible, while Taylor has a blood loss induced panic attack and does overkill. Fuck**

 **If you have thoughts on the chapter, please leave a review. This one** **started highish and ended brutal so I'd like to know what you guys thought about it.**

 **-Killa**


	13. Chapter 13 Interlude 2

As soon as Owl and Skitter leave, all of us breathe easier. Everyone is still shaken fairly badly though. We'd been repeatedly briefed about Owl, but I doubt any of us thought it would be _this_ bad. Thank God Panacea was here.

I scan over my teammates to see how they're doing. Clockblocker got batted around pretty good, he's still a little shaky even after being healed. That's definitely going to have to be checked later. Gallant is off to the sides, furthest away from where the Undersiders were loaded up and taken away. It's hard to tell through his armor, but I can definitely tell that he's already taking the Undersider's injuries personally. I'll need to talk to him after this. Kid Win and Vista are the only ones that came out of this unharmed, but they had perfect views of Owl's butchering of the villains. They both look pretty shaken, Vista seems to be holding it together better than Kid though. Browbeat actually got pretty lucky in the fact that Grue knocked him out before Owl went ballistic. I feel bad for being a little jealous of that.

I wish I didn't have to see any of that.

Damn, this debriefing is not going to be fun.

I round everyone up and we start to head back to HQ.

* * *

I try to give a summary of the robbery to a PRT handler, but I'm sent to Director Piggot's office right away.

I knock on the door when I arrive.

"Enter." I hear the Director growl out.

I walk in and approach her desk. "Aegis reporting for debriefing ma'am."

She looks me up and down with a frown. I still have a little blood on me from the fight. "Aegis, good. I've heard a couple things about today's operation, but just to be certain I want you to walk me through the event. Now."

I swallow, and begin telling her about the bank robbery. As I tell her everything that happened, the director slowly turns her frown into a glare.

"Has Clockblocker gone to the infirmary?"

"No ma'am, he insisted he was fine. He went with everyone else to the Wards room."

She's silent for a minute. "Aegis, I want you to go back and tell Clockblocker to report to medical for observation. Then collect the rest of your team and report back here. We will be going over the team's response in depth."

Oh no. "Yes ma'am." I turn and leave. Usually 'in depth' means we are going to be chewed out. Badly.

I enter the Ward's area and tell Dennis to go to the infirmary. He protests, but he's still a little woozy and doesn't put up much of a fight. Then I grab everyone and head back. We enter and stand at attention.

"Alright, let's start from the top then. Who decided to switch Clockblocker and Aegis' costumes?"

I step forward. "I came up with the plan. Considering who we were up against, I wanted to be able to take out Hellhound's dogs with the least amount of trouble."

"While normally that would be a good strategy, you forgot one important thing. Your teammate isn't a brute!" Piggot scowls at me. "You can take a lot of abuse, but Clockblocker can not. He's in the infirmary right now. From what you told me, the Undersiders figured out your plan. If they didn't, he could have lost a limb, or even his life. If an enemy thinks you are a brute, they will fight you like you're a brute!"

I can't meet her eyes, not with the thought that I could have gotten Dennis killed because of my plan.

"Next, Glory Girl was on the scene. Does anyone know who contacted her? Was she in the area, or was New Wave responding to the crime?"

Gallant clears his throat. "I contacted her ma'am."

She turns to him, and the heat of her glare goes up a few degrees. "Why did you contact her, and who gave you permission to do so?"

I can hear him gulp. "I thought that with the Protectorate being out of town, we could use the back up. I, uh, I didn't receive permission to contact her. I notified her on my own."

"I would almost rather have you get a hold of Kaiser for a hostage situation than have Glory Girl be involved, Gallant!" He goes to object, but she cuts him off. "Do not defend her. We were lucky she didn't do anything stupid and that no one got hurt. She is brash, and has a hard time listening and taking orders during the best of times. Two months ago she took down a mugger, and in the process caused $12,000 in property damage. For a mugger! We're even luckier that she decided to go in through the back instead of just going through the roof to secure the hostages. On top of not thinking about that possibility, and not realizing Glory Girl's penchant for mass property damage, you still contacted her without permission from Console or your team leader. You're not the team leader yet Gallant, and if it were my choice as to who fills that role, you wouldn't be anytime soon. At least not without much more intensive training, am I understood?"

Gallant for a moment looks like he wants to fight it, but decides to not and replies in a defeated voice. "Yes ma'am."

Soon I'll be graduating to the Protectorate, and Gallant will take up the role of team leader. Just like how I took the role after Triumph left the Wards. Even if he's only going to be leader for a year, it's still going to be hard on him.

The director gives him a hard look for a second, then as if seeing something we can't, she gives him a sharp nod. She turns to me. "Aegis, why did you accept help from Owl and the new cape Skitter?"

"You, and the multiple briefings, told us that her meeting the Wards was inevitable. I thought that accepting her offer to help would also cause less problems in the long run, and would be less dangerous than running the risk of making her angry. Skitter was also able to provide us with valuable information on what the Undersiders were planning, information we wouldn't have been able to gather otherwise."

She gives me a nod. "Good, that was one of the few well thought through decisions. Although it almost ended poorly, that wasn't a fault of yours in this instance." She glances at something on her computer with a frown. "Now lets get to the main problem, the confrontation with the Undersiders. When they stormed out of bank it devolved in to an almost standard cape fight. You all were winning against Hellhound's dogs, Clockblocker managed to tag two of them. The last one was being ridden by Hellhound herself. Am I correct so far?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good. At this point the rest of the Undersiders exit the bank to join the melee. Browbeat, you head off alone to confront them, and are subsequently beaten and knocked out. Charging off alone, to fight three capes alone, was foolish. Because of this you will be going through additional tactics, teamwork, and supplementary hand to hand training. Is that clear?"

Browbeat shuffles his feet slightly. "Y-yes, ma'am."

"You're still relatively new to the program, so hopefully we will still be able to beat the foolishness out of you. I am more disappointed that none of the rest of you moved in to assist Browbeat, not a one of you." She levels a withering look at all of us, as her voice picks up and is filled with restrained anger. "He is your teammate for Christ sake, treat him like one! Kid Win, you could have provided long range support. Vista, as soon as you saw Browbeat start to lose, you should have done something, anything! From moving him away from danger, to making any of his hits land quicker than his opponents would have expected. Any sort of help. Therefore, all of you will also be assigned mandatory teamwork and tactics training. And I don't want to hear a peep or groan out of any of you! We don't leave our team behind to fend for themselves. Am I being clear enough!"

We're all taken aback. "Understood ma'am." The rest of the team follows my lead and voices affirmatives.

"After that, Hellhound engages Owl, and we're back to Gallant." The Director says with false cheer. "So Mr. Stansfield, please explain to me the reasoning behind trying to shoot a villainous cape with a rage inducing blast."

"Well ma'am, it, uh... I was gonna." Gallant stops and takes a deep breath. "I don't have a good reason, ma'am."

"Damn right you don't, and most likely didn't at the time either. In fact, from now on you are banned from using any power of yours that would cause someone to become angry. If at any point you think you will need to influence someone like that, you need to request permission from a superior to do it."

"But what if we're in combat and can't make that request?" Oh Dean, why?

"In combat!? Like earlier, when you almost got your whole team killed. Do you happen to mean that kind of combat? I want you to stop, shut up, and look at every one of your teammates. Now."

Gallant looks defiant, but thankfully stops himself from doing something even stupider. He looks at all of us slowly.

"All your teammates, standing around you, except Clockblocker. Now imagine one of them is missing from this meeting, because they lost a limb, or their life. You didn't just miss a shot Gallant. You missed a shot, and hit Owl. You and your team were so unbelievably lucky today. Instead of me having to deal with a dead Ward, I just have to deal with four traumatized minors."

"They're alive, and they're criminals. We came away with few injuries, and all the hostages came away unharmed." Dean please stop digging your own grave. Even Vista is looking at you like you're an idiot. I need to try to talk with him after this, at least to try and calm him down.

The Director gets a down right evil smile plastered across her face, that slowly shifts to a frown again the longer she talks. "Oh yes complete success. And you're right they were absolute criminals. Tattletale has robbed a couple places with no other violent crimes on record. She gets to walk away with only one arm. She's crippled for the rest of her life. Grue has less crimes on record than Tattletale, and is taking it fairly well, but he keeps checking his leg and keeps rubbing his jaw. He still feels the pain even though he's fully healed. Hellhound is wanted for a murder, but we're fairly certain it's related to her trigger event. We also have good reason to think that she has a minor mental disability. She was being eaten alive, and is still shaking in her cell. When a blonde guard passed by her cell earlier, she almost had a panic attack. Regent is wanted for a couple muggings. Honestly he's taking it the best out of all of them, but he still twitches at the sound of footsteps. So tell me Gallant, does the punishment fit the crime? Did any of them deserve that?"

Dean at least has the decency to look ashamed. "No, no they didn't."

"If Panacea wasn't there, Grue would have possibly died, and Tattletale was looking at some rather serious blood loss. You may have come away unscathed, but what about everyone else. I'm highly disappointed in what happened today. You may have stopped the robbery, but I'm still going to consider today a loss. There were to many mistakes, any of them could have cost someone's life. For the next week, all of you will report as you would normally, but all patrols are cancelled and replaced with mandatory training and counselling. Now I want all of you to go back to the Wards common room and plan with each other on how to do better and make sure something like this does not happen again."

In rather low spirits, we all exit and head back. Gallant follows at the end with his head hung low.

* * *

"Ma'am, all Protectorate members have returned and are present." Armsmaster announces.

"Good, hopefully nothing else will happen now that you all are back. As is, there has been an important update concerning Owl. We have a confirmed identity on the person Owl has claimed as a 'friend' in the City." Director Piggot states, then shuffles some paperwork before grabbing a page and reading off it. "It is a girl named Taylor Hebert, 15, attends Winslow High School. She is the daughter of the de facto head of the Dockworkers Union, Daniel Hebert. Today during the bank robbery, Owl was spotted with the new cape, Skitter. A master who is able to control insects. This is the second time that Owl and Skitter have been spotted together, and act relatively friendly towards each other. Through a visual profile built from Armsmaster's helmet camera, as well as information from undercover agents, comparing Skitter to Taylor Hebert comes to a perfect match."

Miss Militia speaks up quickly. "Ma'am, doesn't doing any of this break the unwritten rules."

"Break them? Ha, we're driving a bulldozer over them. Normally, yes we would abide by the rules, but as of now Taylor Hebert is a person of interest. As the person now closest to Owl, if something were to happen to her we would be in a massive amount of trouble. If she were to, god forbid, die, we would most likely have to sound the Endbringer sirens."

"The sirens? You're joking right, please tell me you're joking." Assault asks with a strained laugh.

"No I'm not joking. From the current information we have on Owl, if Taylor Hebert were to die, she would rampage. We don't have the manpower to stop her. All we could do is wait for reinforcements, and try to keep civilian casualties to a minimum. If the gangs were to join in and help us we still wouldn't have a guaranteed victory. Owl has lost control a hand full of times in the past. There are generally no survivors. For now we are coming up with plans for if something like this were to happen. We want to avoid having to use such plans what so ever, so Miss Hebert will be placed under watch. And protected."

"Right now, Dragon and I are working on development for an anti-Owl weapon, so far development has been slow going." Armsmaster puts forward with a hint of annoyance slipping into his usually flat voice.

"It's a start, keep me updated. Are there any other concerns?"

Before anyone is able to voice a question, the whole building shakes. Then a raucous boom goes through the room. Everyone in attendance immediately goes on alert.

The director turns and looks out the window. "What in the hell." She sees smoke raising over the city, then more explosions start going off.

She grabs the phone off her desk and punches on a couple buttons. "Start mobilizing, everyone. On duty, off duty, everyone! I want to know what the hell that just was now!" She then turns to the heroes. "I want all of you out there now. Try to find out what just happened. Keep in radio contact, help emergency services when possible. Someones making a move, and I want that threat out of the way now!"

The heroes salute, then turn and rush out the door. Director Piggot sits and starts making, and answering, an endless stream of calls.

* * *

My phone rings. I look at the id, then answer. "What do you have?"

"Sir, the Undersiders have been captured." The voice on the other side informs me.

"That's unfortunate." And it really was. "What about the other mission?"

"It was a success. The target was secured without issue and is being moved to a secure position as we speak."

I allow myself a smile. "Good." I hang up. Now the loss of the Undersiders is so much less of an issue. I close the other timeline, and _open a new one._

I start going through PRT reports. _I get up and grab the rifle in the cabinet._

It seems there's a new cape in the Bay. _I go to the door and open it._

This 'Owl' may turn out to be a problem. _The guard turns and sees me with the rifle. "Sir, is everything okay?"_

In fact, she may turn out to be quiet the inconvenience. _I raise the rifle, and shoot him in the face._

Well, she will either come under my sway, or fall like so many other obstacles. _I step over the corpse and head further into the base._

I start to pull up more information on this Owl. _I start a fun game of seeing how far I can kill my way through my own base._

* * *

"Ma'am, Velocity radioed in with information on Owl."

I lean forward. "Put him through."

After a second the radio picks up. "Ma'am, I just found Owl and Skitter. It seems they just fought a cape, most likely Oni Lee. Oni Lee seems long gone though."

"What is the status of Owl and Skitter?"

"Skitter seems to be slightly beat up, but otherwise fine. Owl was just basically a pair of arms and a head when I arrived, but she seems to have gotten better."

I groan. "Better how?"

"In less than a minute she reformed her entire body. I have helmet cam footage for confirmation. Now they're leaving, Owl is carrying Skitter. It seems she fell asleep."

"Follow them. Mark where they go. If they stop somewhere for the night, make a note of it and head back to HQ."

"Understood."

The line goes dead. I turn back to the email I received from the Chief Director. A very problematic email.

I give a groan and rub my temples. "Oh, she's trying to kill us." I think up a way to break the news of our most recent orders.

Then I call all the Protectorate heroes except Velocity back.

* * *

"Alright everyone, I have bad, and even worse news." The director starts off.

I'm standing next to Assault. After he told me Owl's proposition, I almost killed him. He just laughed the whole time.

"The bad news. We've been ordered to be even more hands on with Owl and Skitter." She takes a deep breath. "The worse news. The Chief Director has informed us that to accomplish that task, we need to have one of you make contact with Owl personally, in your civilian identity."

I'm stunned, everyone is stunned. This plan is insane. What!

Assault bursts out in laughter. I hit him. He folds over and laughs harder.

"Assault!" The Director yells.

He slowly straightens and the laughing dies down to giggles. "Sorry, sorry. But this has to be a joke right. After the day we just had, this is pulling one over on us right?"

"I'm serious Assault. These are our new orders, all the way from the top. Now, because of this I will be needing a volunteer. Someone to, give up their identity." She finishes weakly, knowing none of us want to go along with this.

"What if I did it." Miss Militia says.

Triumph turns to her. "You're good with people, but the Wards need you to. You lead them well and they rely on you." He says warmly.

"I don't lead the Wards, Armsmaster does."

Assault gives her a look. "He may give them orders, but they look to you if they have a problem. No offense big guy." Armsmaster just grunts.

Dauntless looks at them, then turns to the Director. "I could do it, yeah."

"I will volunteer." Armsmaster cuts in.

"No." "Dear god, no." "Sir, please don't." He gives another grunt.

Miss Militia replies to Dauntless. "You're still fairly new, and this is a big decision." He looks a little wary at that.

While everyone starts to compare pros and cons, I step up to the desk. "Ma'am, I'll do it." Then I take off my helmet.

"Puppy no, you can't." Assault grabs my shoulder.

I pat his hand. "It's okay. I don't do anything during down time anyway, so I don't have to worry about losing my identity. Plus I already have experience working with unsavory types." Then give him a little elbow at that.

"Oof, you wound me." Then he reaches up. "Well I'm not letting you do it alone." And takes of his helmet.

"You don't need to do that." I try to insist.

He just laughs. "I'm not letting you walk into danger alone. Besides we both know I'm better with people."

I shake my head. "Fine, but you're still not accepting Owl's suggestion."

The Director coughs lightly to get our attention. "I'm glad that you both have come to a decision, truly this is a big step for you to make so thank you. Now what is this now about Owl's suggestion?"

I look away and can't help but blush, and Ethan just laughs.

* * *

"Doctor, Owl is now in Brockton Bay." A man says.

"We predicted this would happen, sadly it is ahead of schedule."

"Then I'll have to update the data." There's the clacking of a keyboard.

There's a pause. "Does this disrupt the experiment?"

"The Bay experiment? No, that's the whole point. Although she did put Lung into a coma."

A third voice cuts in, another woman's voice. "Damn, he should have been sent to the Birdcage. Is he recoverable?"

"Possibly, but Owl herself is an adequate replacement if he can't be brought back to working order."

"That and at least she may terrorize a few people into triggering, two birds, one stone. Alright keep me updated if anything drastic happens. Door."

* * *

 **An: I like and dislike these interludes. It's fun to have these things happening in the background. Shifty plots and all. It's not as fun though because now I have to think about things more. Ugh, the perils of deciding to write a fanfic. Oh well, at least it's fun.**

 **Also I recently helped another author with their** **story. White Mage by Lights and Sparkles. It's a Worm/sorta Final Fantasy crossover where Taylor can only use healing powers. If you like stories about alt power Taylor check it out. I like it for the direction it's going in and the limits it places on Taylor and how she will be working around it.**

 **Anyway I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **-Killa**


	14. Chapter 14

I hate hospitals. The smell of hard choices and sour memories is like a constant punch to my senses. The doctors with their stabby needles and bad opinions. If humans didn't break so easily they wouldn't need these horrid places.

 _You're being overly dramatic, everything is fine now._

But it's not fine is it? My, our, friend is hurt. She's one of a very small handful of people left alive that we're friends with, and she almost died.

 _Almost, but didn't. She is a tough girl, and she sadly has been through worse than being shot a couple times. She'll make it._

I'm still worried Liv.

 _Trust me, she will be fine. Besides they rushed that sad girl in here with the healing power to fix this._

Yeah, they did bring her in. She was nice, scared though. I should find her later and apologize. I should probably apologize to the trooper I slammed into the wall as well. Liv, when do you think Tay will wake up?

 _According to Sad Girl, Taylor is fully healed, even her eyesight. At this point it's really just her sleeping. She will wake up soon._

I guess we just sit till then.

I look at Tay just laying in her bed. Her costume is dirty, they cut the legs off the suit to get to the wounds before Sad Girl came, and the costume is splattered with her blood. There's a halo of her own hair spread across the pillow. Her mask is still on, but I can just imagine her peaceful sleeping face. Oh I hope her sleep is peaceful. She's so young, and already gone through so much. Just the thought of what Tay has been through already boils my blood and makes me uneasy.

Also this room is boring.

 _Stop complaining._

* * *

Something stirring nearby brings me out of a daydream. Tay is shifting a little and gives off a groan. Oh shit is she waking up?

I stand up an move over to her. Placing my hand on her shoulder and talking softly I say. "Tay, hey Tay."

She groans a little louder. "What, ugh why is everything blurry?"

I smile a little. "Hold on, I'll help with that." I stretch the silk mask with one hand and pop out a lens with the other. "There, is that better?"

She looks around for a second. "Yeah, it's better, but why can I see better without the lens, and where are we?"

"Well we're in an executive hospital room in the Protectorate base."

She looks bewildered for a second. "We're on the Rig!" Shock and amazement makes Tay's voice go high pitched. I try really hard not to laugh.

"If you mean the oil rig in the middle of the bay, then yes." She is absolutely blown away.

She slowly comes down from wherever she was. "Why are we on the Rig?"

I get a sour look for a second. "Well you got hurt, so some Protectorate hero came to help you. He was some speedy guy. We're on the Rig because I was, maybe, a little, very upset. They brought us here because, and this is a guess, if I lost it I'd be stranded out in the bay on an oil rig instead of in the middle of the city."

"That makes sense I guess." Tay doesn't sound very sure though.

"And with your eyes, they brought in some sad healer girl in white and red robes to heal you up. She fixed your legs and threw in eye repair for free."

"Sad healer girl?" She thinks for a second. "They brought in Panacea to heal me!?" And she's amazed again, it's adorable.

"Yeah they got Pan-a, uh, Pancake!" _Nice Recovery._ Shush. "They got Pancake because the doctor said you lost a lot of blood on the way over, and they didn't want to give me a reason to lose it."

"It's all kind of blurry, what happened?"

 _Oh boy, this should be fun. Try not to slam her with information okay._ I'll try. "Okay, so we went after Bakuda yeah?" She gives a nod, then I continue. "Well, we found her. I snuck in and confronted her. She knew we were coming and had people with guns on some rooftops, and they shot you. I killed her. You, you..."

 _What the hell did I just say._ Sorry I panicked.

Tay takes a sharp breath. "And I killed everyone else." She lets out all the air slowly, and her whole body tenses. She pulls in air hard after a few seconds and her eyes start to pool with unshed tears.

Shitshitshitshit. I lean forward and pull her into my arms. "Hey, I'm here." She starts sobbing. "Oh, it's okay, it's okay." _Definitely not okay. Hug harder._

I keep her tight to me as talk her through it. She just had a hard time getting over killing Oni Lee yesterday, this was probably to much.

 _This was way to much for her. Taylor is a sweet girl, I'm honestly surprised she was able to recover from killing Oni Lee in the first place. Finding out you killed an entire building's worth of people would make most people crack._

 _"_ I remember what happened, I can see it all happen." Tay croaks out. "The bugs killing people, I, I made them kill those people."

She remembers watching through the bugs.

 _Oh shit._ _I don't think we're qualified enough to help._

We have to try Liv, she needs us.

 _I'm not saying to leave her but me and you are held together by hopes, broken dreams, and murder. This is some deep running trauma in the making and we need a professional._

Tay then shifts and clings to me, burying her face in my neck. "I didn't mean to, I didn't want to do that, I just, I." It's difficult to hear through the tears but the pain is unmistakable. "I don't want to be a villain." She sobs. "I don't want to become a monster."

I just hold her, and tell her things that may soften the blow, but will never fully take away the pain.

* * *

 **AN: So it's been, uh, a little while since the last update. Between life stuff and sad life stuff I just haven't had the motivation to write for a while. The story ain't dead, I'm constantly thinking about it, but the will to write just hasn't been there. It's coming back slowly and I want to write, just the updates might be a little spaced. And this chapter I realize isn't anything special, I know trust me, right now I just needed to finish it and put it out so I could try and get back into it. This chapter is a shift right now in** **perspective, if you couldn't tell. I'm gonna tell it from Owl's point of view for a while just to mess around and i hope you enjoy it.**

 **It's been a while but still thanks for reading and leave me some of those tasty reviews**

 **-Killa**


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